The Rose and The Scorpion
by MsMacBeth10
Summary: "Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood." Rose took that to heart. But when she finds herself becoming attracted to Scorpius Malfoy from first year, she knew her life was going to be complicated.
1. The Hogwarts Express

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>Rose Weasley pulled her head back into the compartment she was sharing with Al, her cousin. She couldn't believe it. After years of waiting, she was going to Hogwarts at last! Al didn't seem to share her excitement. He kept glancing out the window, looking rather gloomy, while muttering "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin, oh, please, not Slytherin," under his breath as if it were some kind of spell. She glanced down at the book in her lap—<em>Growing Gardens is Magical!—<em>which she had brought along for a light read.

"Cheer up, Al! You'll be fine," she said to him brightly. "We're going to Hogwarts! Oh, this will be such an exciting year!"

"Maybe," Al muttered, not paying any attention to her. The door opened to reveal a boy with blond hair and a smirk on his face. Rose winced, knowing right then who he was. _Scorpius Malfoy_. What was he doing here?

Malfoy's son skimmed his eyes around. "Oh. Well, if it isn't Potter and—"

"If you're going to say 'Weasel' you might as well shut up," Rose snapped coldly.

He looked slightly taken back. "I wasn't going to say that," he said.

Al still wasn't paying attention. Rose shot him a worried glance before adding, "If you have no business here, please go and leave my cousin and I alone, thank you very much."

"The rest of the train's full," he admitted finally. "There's no where to sit."

Rose raised her eyebrow. "Ahh. But don't you have all those Slytherin wanna-bes who would die to have you sit with them?" His eyes met hers. They were cold. Though something deep within their depths captivated her. Were her cheeks heating up, just slightly?

At the mention of Slytherin, Albus jumped and began chanting even louder, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin!"

"There's nothing wrong with Slytherin," Malfoy pointed out dryly. With a glare from Rose, he closed his mouth.

"Well, I guess you could sit here," Rose answered, "Besides, it's not like we own the train or anything." Jabbing Al in the side, she hissed, "Honestly, Al!" Malfoy nodded curtly at her before sitting down next to her cousin.

The three sat in awkward silence, with the occasional "Not Slytherin," from Al. It wasn't until the cart lady came by did Al break off from his trance and bought some of everything from the cart. Rose sighed with relief. He returned a few moments later and dumped everything he carried onto the empty space beside Rose. "Pumkin pasty, Rose? Have something too, Scorpius." He asked her as he took one for himself, gesturing to Malfoy as he took a bite.

Rose shook her head. Her stomach was feeling slightly queasy, until she realized Malfoy was staring at her. "Not hungry," she muttered. "I'll take a Chocolate Frog, though." She reached over to take one, and so did Malfoy. Their hands accidentally brushed, and she instantly pulled hers back, feeling lightheaded. Merlin, what was wrong with her? Malfoy refused to meet her eye. Rose glanced down at the card she was now holding. "Al! Look, it's your dad!" She waved the card in his face.

Al laughed. He was back. The _old _Al. And she somewhat missed him. "I've already got five of him."

"Really?" Rose asked, surprised.

He nodded. "I've memorized the description by heart—the first wizard to survive the Killing Curse, earning the title 'The Boy Who Lived.' Most famously, for the defeat of the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort in 1998 and his work and revolutionisation of the Ministry of Magic."

Rose stared at him, her mouth dropping open and her earlier embarrassment with Malfoy forgotten. She glanced down at the card, and sure enough. "Impressive," she remarked. For the remainder of the trip, they chatted about Quidditch teams, what they possibly might do in the future, ("Dad wants me to be an Auror, but I dunno myself," Rose explained), and Hogsmeade. She avoided asking about school houses, for fear that Albus might freak out again. Scorpius wasn't too bad once you got to know him, she decided.

"_Grandad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood," _her father's voice echoed in her mind. Why was she thinking about that, now?

All too soon, it was time to change into their robes. Of course, Rose had already done so before getting on the train, so she waited in the aisle while Al and Scorpius changed. A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." Rose felt her heart skip a beat as she reentered their compartment. They were almost there! They packed the rest of the sweets in their pockets. As the train slowed and finally came to a stop, they had to squeeze by people to get onto the platform. By then, Scorpius was no longer with them. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Al, Rosie! Good to see yeh!" Hagrid beamed at them above the other students. "All right there, you two?"

Albus grinned back at him. "Hagrid! We're both fine, thanks! And you?"

"Same as always. Yer parents doing well?"

"Very well," Rose replied.

The rest of the first years had gathered, so there was no more time to talk. "C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Hagrid's booming voice echoed. Stumbling and slipping, they followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path. It was rather quiet. Rose felt herself trip. She let out a startled shriek, but before she could collide with the ground a strong arm caught hers and pulled her back up. She spun around to face her savior, expecting it to be Al, but it wasn't. "Scorpius!"

He gazed back at her evenly. "You should be more careful," he warned.

"Er, thanks," she muttered as she watched him leave, almost bumping into Al.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid announced to the silent first years, breaking Rose out of her daze. "Jus' round this bend here."

Then…"Ooooooh!"

Rose looked with the others. A sparkling starry sky. A vast castle. It was amazing. "Quite a look, isn't it?"

"Yes," she breathed, turning to find Scorpius again. He seemed to be around her all the time. Weird.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called as they arrived at the shore. Rose, Albus and Scorpius got into one boat with another girl. "Everyone in?" Asked Hagrid, sitting in a boat all to himself. "Right then—FORWARD!"

The boats began to glide across the lake. Rose's eyes widened with surprise as she stared at the view. It wasn't long before they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles in what looked to be an underground harbor. "Everyone here?" Hagrid asked as they all gathered around him by the castle door.

Rose knew what would come next. The sorting. It made her slightly nervous, but barely. She just hoped that Al would be all right. She found herself holding her breath as the large doors creaked open in front of them.


	2. Houses and Sorting Ceremonies

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>As the door opened, Rose instantly recognized Professor Longbottom—a good friend of their families (as in both Potter and Weasley), also the Head of Gryffindor house—standing there, waiting for them.<p>

"The firs' years, Nev—Professor Longbottom," Hagrid corrected himself quickly as a few of the first years exchanged glances. Professor Longbottom pulled the door wide, revealing the inside of Hogwarts. It was amazing, Rose thought, which Hogwarts certainly is. As they followed him across the flagged stone floor, Rose heard noises from a doorway to the right, and knew that the rest of the students and professors were already there. Her stomach churned nervously. Neville led them into a small, empty chamber off the hall.

Of course, the first years followed him in.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," beamed Professor Longbottom as he gazed at the nervous students. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will first be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony here, as your House is like your family here at Hogwarts. I'm sure you will meet new friends. Your classes will be taken with your House, you will sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The Houses, as some of you may already know, are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." Albus was becoming fidgeting beside Rose as he explained. "Each House has its own noble history and produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded with the House Cup, which is a very great honor. I do hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school, so I suggest during this time you loose some of the tension that is currently within this room." Neville nodded briefly at Rose and Albus. "I shall return when we are ready for you. So, until then, please wait quietly."

After his exit, nervous yet excited murmurs broke out among the first years. "Al, don't worry," Rose soothed again, "It'll be over before you know it."

"I _will _be in Gryffindor, won't I?"

She patted him on the head, smiling slightly. They were about the same age, yet when Al was nervous he acted rather childish sometimes. Or perhaps it was his brother James's fault. "Of course you will." A sudden gush of cold air caused Rose to shiver.

Everyone else gasped. For ghosts had just flew into the room. "New students, about to be sorted, I suppose?" One asked as he smiled. A few students nodded. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" So he was the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar.

"All right, the ceremony is about to start," Professor Longbottom announced, returning. "Form a line, and follow me."

They did as told. Rose spotted the hat sitting on a four-legged stool after Neville placed it down. It was the Sorting Hat. As it sang its song explaining the different Houses, Rose felt butterflies swarm around in her belly. The feeling wasn't good. She barely paid attention, so when the song was finished and everyone started clapping, she almost jumped.

Neville looked at them. "When I call your name, you will put the hat on and sit on the stool to be sorted." _Oh dear. Just take a deep breath._Rose shook her head to clear her mind. "Aberthy, Claire!" A dirty blonde girl stumbled to out of the line, put on the hat, and sat down on the stool. A moment later—

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. The Gryffindors cheered loudly as she went over to join their table.

"Boot, Robert!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And so it went on, and on. Until..."Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Why was Rose holding her breath as he sat down on the stool with the hat on? Murmuring had broken out among some of the students who have heard stories, obviously about Draco, his father.

"SLYTHERIN!"

As Rose watched him walk over to the Slytherin table, where he was welcomed by loud cheers, she felt a strange feeling inside her. _Why am I...disappointed? He's a Slytherin now. And I won't make friends with Slytherins. Especially not Malfoys. _Too soon, it was Albus's turn.

"Potter, Albus!"

"Wait, did he just say _Potter_?"

"As in the great Harry Potter? Harry Potter's son?"

Excited murmurs buzzed as Albus, looking very pale, placed the hat on his head. Rose crossed her fingers. Then: "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered their loudest yet. She could clearly see the relief in Al's eyes as he sat down beside his brother James, who put an arm around Al's back.

"Weasley, Rose!"

Uh oh. Gulping, Rose picked up the hat and placed it on her head as she sat down. "Hmm," a small voice said in her ear, "A rather difficult choice, I must say. A very good mind. Very good. Ah, what about Ravenclaw?" _No, not Ravenclaw, _Rose thought under her breath. "Eh? Are you quite sure? Well, then...perhaps...GRYFFINDOR!"

With a grin, Rose joined Al at the Gryffindor table as they clapped and whistled at her. She couldn't stop herself from casting a quick look at the Slytherin table. Where she found herself locking eyes with Malfoy.

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><p><strong>An: I used some of the lines from the book, though not word to word (at least for some). -_- **

**Review? My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox. Well, one of them.**


	3. Flying

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>Over the next few days, Rose soon became used to her classes. She found herself fascinated with Transfiguration—taught by Professor Whitson, a kind witch with short dirty blond hair, after Professor McGonagall took the position of Headmistress. Because she had read every book required by the teachers over the summer, she knew the answer to every question asked. To her disgust, however, so did Malfoy. Just the other day, as the Gryffindors entered the dungeon with Slytherin for potions, Professor Dillon had asked them what the most important ingredient in Polyjuice Potion was.<p>

Instantly, not only did Rose's hand, but Malfoy's as well, shot into the air. "My, my," Professor Dillon had chuckled, "Youngsters sure are lively these days." _No, _Rose thought in her mind, _Father asked me to beat him in every test. So that is exactly what I'm trying. Malfoys and Weasleys never get along. _"Well, Miss Weasley? Tell me your answer. There is, keep in mind, no actual right answer in this case."

"Although all the ingredients required include lacewing flies, Antimony, unsucculated leeches, scruples of fluxweed picked at full moon, drachms of pulverised Sal Ammoniac, pulverised blades of knotgrass, powdered horn of a Bicorn that has been lunar extracted, filings and rasplings of Saltpeter, Mercury and Mars, shredded dried skin of a Boomslang, and a hair belonging to the person you plan on changing into," Rose listed rapidly as everyone else gaped at her, "Each ingredient is important in their own way. _However_, I do believe the hair to be most important, otherwise it is impossible to change into the other person."

Professor Dillon nodded, an amazed look on his face. "Excellent answer, Miss Weasley. Have you already read _Magical Draughts and Potions_?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," she answered. She couldn't stop herself from casting a look at Malfoy, who was staring at her with both anger and disbelief.

"Take a bonus ten points for Gryffindor. Now, let's get on with this lesson, but keep in mind please that we will certainly _not _be making Polyjuice Potion anytime soon..."

Back to the present. They were now having their first flying lesson from Madam Hoover. And yes, much to Rose's annoyance, they were taking the class together with Slytherin. It was just her day. Flying on broomsticks is not something Rose enjoyed. In fact, her stomach always feels funny whenever she even thought about it. "Hold your right hand in front of your broom," Madam Hoover instructed, "And say 'Up!'"

"Up!" They all shouted.

Albus's had jumped into his hand. So had Malfoy's. Rose's, however, was still lying on the ground. She couldn't believe that Malfoy did better at something than she did. Though most of the other first years too didn't get their broomsticks to jump. "Hey," Al hissed at her, "I think yours moved a bit." Rose knew he was just trying to make her feel better. He, after all, did know about the competitiveness between Malfoy and her. Madam Hoover showed them how to mount properly onto the broom, having to fix Rose's grip three times before she finally got it right. She wanted nothing more than to jinx Malfoy to get rid of his smirk.

"When I blow my whistle," Madam Hoover called to the class, "Kick off from the ground hard. Keep your brooms steady, _rise only a few feet_, and come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. Ready? Three—two—one!"

Rose kicked off from the ground, but panicked when she realized she was flying higher and higher. Her stomach twisted, and she felt dizzy. "I can't get back down!" She wailed as the other students grew tinier and tinier beneath her. She spotted Malfoy zooming towards her.

"Hey, calm down," he said smugly. "Panicking won't get you anywhere."

She still flew higher and higher. "Who asked for your help?" She couldn't hide the terror in her voice.

"Or would you rather keep flying higher and fall to your death, Weasley? That's fine by me, too."

"What was that?" She growled, suddenly raising by another five feet. She shrieked and grabbed the closest thing next to her, which happened to be Malfoy's arm.

He stared at her. "Are you more afraid of your broomstick than me, Weasley?"

Her hand tightened around her broomstick again. It shook violently from the sudden movement. "If you're going to help me, then help me!"

"Aww...is that desperation I hear? A Weasley who wants a Malfoy's help. I've never heard of such a thing."

"Then why _did _you come? To make fun of me? For revenge?"

Malfoy hesitated. "Why did I come? Interesting question. You're crying now, Weasley?"

"Shut up!" Rose snapped, and screamed as her broom suddenly started free falling. Malfoy reached a hand over and grabbed the end of her broomstick, easing the fall. Just barely.

"Take a deep breath and lean forward. It's not hard, really," he murmured soothingly. Rose had never heard him speak this way, and it was making her heart thud in her chest. Following his instructions, her broom started lowering itself more slowly. She let out her held breath when her foot finally touched the ground. Rose stumbled away from her broom, panting, and sank to her knees.

Madam Hoover pushed her way through the crowd. "Miss Weasley, are you all right? Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for helping her. Five points for Slytherin. And next time, Miss Weasley, _do_ be careful."

Rose only managed to nod, still shaking.

"She looks pale!" Al burst out from where he stood.

"Mr. Malfoy, please take Miss Weasley to the hospital wing for Madam Longbottom to check her over," Madam Hoover said.

"Me?" Malfoy asked, rather surprised.

"Well, why not you?"

He sighed, obviously not wanting to go. "Oh, fine. Let's go, Weasley."

She simply followed him, not speaking. That flying ordeal must've shocked her quite a lot. After walking in the halls for a while in silence, he said, "You still haven't thanked me."

Rose stared blankly back at him. Shaking his head and asking himself why he was an idiot for helping _her_, he took her hand and led her on.

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><p><strong>An: I used some of the lines from the book, though not word to word (at least for some). -_- **

**Review? My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox. Well, one of them.**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima. **


	4. The Beginning of a New Friendship

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>As they entered the infirmary, Madam Longbottom rushed towards Rose and Malfoy. Scorpius explained what happened while she briskly checked Rose's pulse, looked in her eyes and muttered to herself. Finally, she said more loudly, "Yes, yes, she's fine, Mr. Malfoy. Just a bit shocked. Nothing chocolate can't heal. Wait here with her for a moment, please."<p>

She left the two of them. Rose turned to him. "Pinch me on the cheek, Scorpius," she mumbled.

Did he hear her right? She had not only just asked him to pinch her, but she had called him _Scorpius_. Scorpius stared at her as if she had just grown another head. Obviously she was _not _all right. For some odd little reason, he liked it when she had called him Scorpius. Shaking his head and giving in to his hatred for her, for now, he reached a hand forward and lightly pinched her cheek. Rose actually _smiled _at him. "Better now?" He asked her, smirking to cover his confusion.

"Much, thanks," she replied, still smiling and slightly red on her cheek—probably where he pinched her—as Madam Longbottom returned with a huge bar of Honeydukes's chocolate.

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><p>Ever since the flying incident, Rose's opinions on Malfoy changed. Albus noticed that instead of arguing with each other whenever there was a chance to, she would often groan at the sight of him and walk the other way, even if that other way caused her and Al to be late for class. One night, Rose felt someone poking her. She instantly jumped up, opened her mouth to scream, but was blocked by a hand. "<em>Shh<em>," Al whispered. "Come with me. There's something I want to show you!" She saw the excitement in his eyes.

Once they were both in the Gryffindor common room, Rose turned to her brother and said, "All right, Al, tell me what's on your mind. I want to go back to bed. And how did you get into the girls' dormitory in the first place?"

Al shook his head. "Never mind that, Rose. Look!" He thrust something that looked like a map under her nose. "James gave it to me."

Rose gasped as she stared at it. There were footsteps labeled with names of both staff and students. And they were _moving_. "What kind of map is this?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"It's the Marauders' Map," Al explained. "Created by Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs. We can use it to spy on people!"

"Why would we spy on people?" She asked, feeling somewhat stupid by her question.

"That's one option, I guess. Come on, Rose! Let's go out, as in sneak around! We can probably hide from Filch, see?"

Rose yawned for an answer. "I'm tired, Al. I'm going back to get some sleep before tomorrow."

"Aww, please? Just for a bit? It'll be fun!"

"Oh, fine...but I'm bringing my wand!" Together, they pushed their way out, waking up the Fat Lady in their process.

"Can I not get a wink of sleep here?" she complained, startled. "What's this? First years?"

Rose shot Al a glance. "Er, sorry. I need to...ah, use the—uh, toilet. Let's go, Al."

Pulling on Al's hand, they hurried on, and Rose heard her grumble something along the lines of, "I remember the time when Harry Potter was here. He caused _so_ much trouble..."

Sighing, she turned to face her cousin. "Even though you are my favorite cousin, Al, you owe me big time for that. Especially since you're supposed to be the more awake one than I am."

"You're the smart one, here, Rose," Al pointed out as they resumed walking.

Shaking her head, she muttered, "_Lumos_," and her wand lit up. "Ah, much better." Al and Rose walked in silence, captivated by the map. Until...

"Bloody Merlin," she cursed loudly, "Why is _he _here?" They rounded the corner, and Rose found herself shining her light in the face of none other than...

"Scorpius Malfoy," Al said. He was pointing his light right into Rose's face, too. And a light in one's face was certainly unpleasant.

He gazed evenly back at them. "What do you know? It's Potter and the Weasel."

Rose ignored his taunt, but Al could feel her shaking beside him. Definitely from anger. "Well, hello, _Malfoy_. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" She became aware that she was still in her pajamas.

"Don't tell me Weasleys' now have enough money to buy Hogwarts. You don't own this place."

"You don't either," she flashed back at him.

"Well, I certainly don't have to answer to half bloods."

"Then why bother helping me the other day? A sudden change in your mood?"

He shrugged. "I was bored, all right?"

"I never gave you permission!"

"So I need permission to save you now, is that it?"

Al put a hand on Rose's arm. "Please, Rose. Let's leave. Malfoy's not worth your time—"

"Who asked for _your_ opinion, huh, Potter?"

"Filch is coming!" Albus gasped, pointing at his name on the map. It was moving closer to where the three stood.

"What _is _that, Potter?"

Al quickly pulled out his wand and said, "Mischief managed!" The ink vanished, leaving just an empty sheet of old parchment. He stuffed it into his pocket.

Malfoy looked around widely (he had heard Filch's footsteps now), grabbed Rose's arm and started dragging her into the closest classroom. Al followed without much complaint. "Put out that light, Weasley!" He commanded.

For once, Rose didn't argue as she whispered, "_Nox._" The light went out. He dragged the two of them into a corner, where he then disillusioned them. Rose mentally slapped herself for not thinking of that idea before him. He, Rose and Al huddled there together, waiting for Filch to pass. Rose felt her heart thumping in her chest, and it was not just from running. She was sure it had something to do with Scorpius Malfoy practically on top of her, shielding her view from anyone who bothered to look in the dark classroom.

"I swear I heard something in here," Filch muttered as he shone a light inside. "What do you think, Miss Norris?" He may be very old, but Filch was nastier than ever. Miss Norris was, according to Fred, Mrs. Norris's kit. Nobody knew that for a fact, unfortunately. Rose let out a gasp when she spotted the yellow piercing eyes of said cat. Scorpius quickly covered her mouth with his hand, which is the second time someone had done that to her. They all held their breath, waiting, as the cat finally returned to her owner. "Must be my imagination, then. I must be getting old..." The three stumbled away from each other as they heard the door close.

"Thank goodness that's over," Rose sighed in relief, and Al noticed she was doing anything to avoid looking at Malfoy. "Al, it's time to return to the Gryffindor common room. Come on."

She winced when Malfoy caught her wrist. "I won't report you two if you don't mention anything about me," he said.

"Scared that we'll report you, huh?" She growled at him.

Al nudged Rose. "He _did _save us with that disillusion charm," he pointed out.

Rose glared at him for the first time since Filch left. "I could've done it too. I didn't need his help. Who's side are you on, Albus?"

"Obviously Potter is smarter than you in this case, Weasley."

"I'm tired of you two arguing all the time. It's like you're a married couple or something. Just...we can all be friends!" Rose went bright red (the oh-so-famous Weasley trait) at Al's comment, and turned away again.

"Friends? With you?"

Al beamed at him. "Why not, Scorpius?"

"You just called him Scorpius!" Rose said, horrified.

"So did you before, in case you've forgotten." Scorpius retorted dryly.

Rose watched as Albus shook hands with Scorpius. Reluctantly she too held up her hand, which he took rather cautiously before shaking. "And apologize to Rose for calling her a Weasel!"

For a moment, Rose thought he was going to refuse. Then, to her utmost surprise, he muttered, "I'm sorry, Weasley."

She hesitated, just barely. "Apology accepted. And call me Rose, Scorpius."

"Rose," he repeated, lifting one side of his mouth up a little, which Rose assumed was a smile. She grinned back at him, still not certain how their new friendship was going to end up. He was, not only a pureblood, but a Slytherin. Even so, she hoped they could work something out.

And so, from that day on, Scorpius Malfoy—whose father detested both the Potters and the Weasleys, and vice versa—became Al and Rose's friend.

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><p><strong>An: Starting from the next chapter, time will pass more quickly. Eheh. After all, there can't really be much romance with 11 year olds. :3 **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them.**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster and past decembers for reviewing! **


	5. Invitation to a Party

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>At least, Al and Scorpius were the actual friends. Rose had become more friendly with him, though she still competed with him to beat him on tests whenever she could. Except once, when he scored a one hundred twelve percent in charms, while Rose only scored a one hundred and nine. She was fuming for days after that. He was better at Defense Against the Dark Arts than she, which had become very clear by the time they started second year. At least Al too was really good, so that made it up. Time flew quickly, and it was soon the beginning of the Christmas holidays.<p>

"Dad! Mum!" Rose called cheerfully as she, Albus and Scorpius stepped out of the Hogwarts Express. Hermione beamed at her daughter, who had achieved grades worthy of a Granger in the last year-and-a-half. Ron grinned, but his smile faded as soon as he spotted Scorpius with her.

Albus too joined the Weasleys, as Harry and Ginny were with Ron and Hermione. "Hey, Dad, Mum, Rose and I were thinking...if Scorpius can come over for our Christmas Party?"

"Also known as a ginormous family reunion," Rose translated to Scorpius, who couldn't help smirking.

Ron narrowed his eyes. "Malfoy's son?"

"What about my son, Weasley?" A cold voice came from not far away. They all jumped, spinning around to find Draco Malfoy standing there with a scowl beside his wife, Astoria.

"Hello, father," Scorpius mumbled. Tension surrounded the three families.

Finally, it was Ginny who broke the about-to-duel with a perfect imitation of Umbridge's cough, "_Hem, hem_."

"I think that's a lovely idea," Harry agreed rather quickly. "Ginny?"

"Fine by me," she said, glaring at Draco Malfoy as if daring him to refuse, "And as most say, 'the more the merrier', right? What about you, brother?"

Rose's father opened his mouth, obviously about to refuse, when Hermione kicked his leg. "No—_OWWW_, Hermione!—I mean—yes."

Ginny turned back to Draco with a triumphant smile. "Well, that settles it, then. We all agree."

"Please, father?" Scorpius asked hopefully.

"Oh, I think it's fine if Scorp goes to a party at the Weasleys', Draco."

"Well, all right, then," Malfoy forcefully choked out.

"Bring Scorpius to the Burrow on Christmas Eve, then," Ginny said brightly, ignoring the glares of antagonism between Ron and Malfoy, "And you two are welcome to come as well, if you'd like."

"No, I—we wouldn't want to trouble you, Mrs. Potter," Astoria declined the offer politely. Rose was glad that Scorpius's mother had more sense than his father did. "Come now, Scorpius." She took his hand and led him (pulling on a still furious Malfoy's arm with the other), and led her family away.

Albus exchanged a glance with his cousin, hoping at least there wouldn't be such a Malfoy-Weasley hatred at the Christmas party. The keyword here is hope.

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><p><strong>An: This chapter is shorter, but the next one will be about the party, so it'll be longer. XD **

***I meant to put cousin, not sister. **

**Yes, title change. Fits the story better, doesn't it? **

**Review? Please? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. I'm not FORCING you to review or anything, but they are greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right? **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster and past decembers for reviewing! **


	6. Christmas Eve

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>An awkward silence was present in The Burrow. The only sound heard was spoons and forks against plates and bowls. It was probably the quietest Christmas dinner the Weasleys had in decades. And the reason behind it was the presence of...<p>

Scorpius Malfoy sat picking at a piece of roast chicken, not meeting anyone's eyes. He did a good job of it, too: most of the Weasleys didn't even look at him. This had been going on since his arrival an hour ago. Albus and Rose knew this is when friends were meant to stand up against each other. "Honestly, what in Merlin's name is wrong with you all? Crookshanks got your tongue?" Rose snapped, smashing her fork down on the table.

"He's a..." Ron began, but closed his mouth after earning a glance of annoyance from Hermione.

"Malfoy, right?" Scorpius asked quietly, not looking up at anyone. "And Malfoys and Weasleys are meant to be enemies. I get it. Though...that was my father. I'm different from him. Think what you want, I won't stop you. Oh, by the way, the food's good, like Albus said. Excuse me." He stood up and left the room, and instantly murmuring broke out.

Albus too pushed his chair back. "Honestly, guys, I expected better of you."

"When will you see that Scorpius Malfoy is _not _his father?" Rose growled, then stalked after Albus.

"When the world ends," Ron muttered, raising his hands up in surrender when the entire Weasley family looked at him this time, with frowns on their faces. And when the family was large like the Weasleys—together with the Potters—it was not pleasant to be frowned at.

Rose and Albus caught up with Scorpius outside The Burrow. "Scorpius! Wait!" Al called out, and he stopped and turned around.

"I'm sorry," Rose managed after catching her breath.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her. "What for? _You _didn't ask your family to hate me."

"He does have a point," Al admitted. "Our family. They're, um, not that I like to say bad things about them, but they're, er—"

"Idiots," Rose finished for him. "My family are all idiots. Not including you, of course, Al."

Albus gaped at Rose as if she had just told him she hated studying. "Blimey, Rose..."

Then they heard something. It was Scorpius. And he was actually _laughing_. Rose couldn't help smiling as she watched him laugh. A few minutes later, the three were on the ground, unable to stop their laughter. Rose kept hitting the ground with her fist, feeling tears start falling. "My—dad—needs—to—grow—up—" she said between bursts of giggling. When they finally managed to stop, rather than going back inside, they decided to play a mini version of Quidditch. Well, it was only Al and Scorpius who actually played while Rose watched. She had refused to ride a broom ever again after the incident in first year.

"We should go back," Rose suggested after what seemed like ages later. She was shivering from the cold.

"Oh—right, here," said Scorpius, swiftly landing on the ground and pulling out a small long box from inside his robe, "Your Christmas present, Rose. I put a spell on it so it wouldn't open until the twenty-fifth."

She took it with a smile. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Know-it-all. Like I'll open it right now when it's only two hours away from midnight."

Al pretended to look offended. "And I don't get a present, Scorpius?"

"You have my lifelong friendship, Albus Severus Potter," Scorpius said solemnly.

"I accept your lifelong friendship, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," Al mocked, "Though, seems to me, that you fancy my cousin."

Scorpius looked rather surprised, while Rose's ears turned bright red, a trait inherited from her father. "Albus!" She screamed, racing after him as he laughed. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

"Then I command you give me a present, Scorpius."

"You don't _command _someone to give you a present, my dear brother," a new voice said. They all jumped, turning to find James watching them with an amused expression on his face. "Mum asked me to come get you three. We're having dessert."

"My dear brother, you're the one lost here," Al retorted, ignoring the part about dessert, "When Scorpius gave our cousin one and not me. He clearly likes her more."

"Oooh," James drawled, "I can't wait to see them start snogging! I will bring a camera."

Rose was furious, and Scorpius looked embarrassed. "Quit with the romancy stuff!" She snapped, "Seriously, you two, how old are you?"

"Twelve," Al answered automatically.

"Fourteen," James said in unison.

She folded her arms across her chest, still holding the box, and said, "That was supposed to be a rhetorical question."

Scorpius revealed that he indeed did have a present for Al.

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><p>"He gave me a quill," Rose said, opening the box, "How did he know my last one broke?"<p>

Albus shrugged. "He didn't. But knowing you, it won't be a surprise if you broke one every other day." Then he escaped from the room, just as his cousin's voice roared after him, "ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

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><p><strong>An: This chapter is shorter, but the next one will be about the party, so it'll be longer. XD **

***I meant to put cousin, not sister. **

**Yes, title change. Fits the story better, doesn't it? **

**Review? Please? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. I'm not FORCING you to review or anything, but they are greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right? **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster and past decembers for reviewing! **


	7. Flying Again

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>Time definitely passed fast when you're having fun. That's what it felt like for Albus Potter, Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy, who suddenly found themselves in third year. Knowing that the three were related to the 'Golden Trio', mischief was bound to happen. Especially with a Malfoy among them. Albus, living up to his father, had become Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And, Scorpius for Slytherin. Rose was often torn between which team to support when a match between her best friends' houses took place.<p>

One night, later in the year, Rose and Albus went to visit the Gamekeeper (and Care of Magical Creatures teacher), Rubeus Hagrid, who was a friend of their parents. Unable to decline, they both accepted large amounts of rock cake from him. As the name suggests, it tasted like rocks.

Scorpius didn't come for various reasons: he was a Malfoy, and he had Quidditch practice. Rose felt a little guilty that he was out there practicing when she and Al were in Hagrid's "house", talking and laughing. "Er, Al, I'm going back early. I still have to study for that Charms test tomorrow. Some last minute checks, you know?"

Al seemed to understand. "Yeah, Rose, sure. I'll stay here for a bit longer."

She beamed at him and stood up. Hagrid looked slightly crestfallen as he said, "Are yeh sure yeh don' wan' to stay longer?"

"Well, I would like to, but..."

"Rose would hate losing to Scorpius on a test," Albus said quickly.

She nodded vigorously, then escaped before Hagrid could say any more. Since the beginning of third year, Rose had realized just how...good-looking Scorpius had become. He was taller than her, and his blond hair added some rather Malfoy-like features. She adored those gray eyes. He was pale, yes, but something about that made him different (which she liked). He was a Malfoy, yet he acted very un-Malfoy-like at times.

As she thought these things, she found herself at the Quidditch field, where a lone figure was flying around above her. When Scorpius spotted her, he made a very abrupt turn on his Firebolt 3 and landed beside her. "Hi," he said, slightly breathless.

"Hi," she echoed, still daydreaming.

"Where's Al?" He asked.

She snapped her head up to look at him. "Uh, still at Hagrid's."

"Is something troubling you?" said Scorpius, "You're not usually this...distracted."

"I hate how you and Al fly so well when I fail at it!" She burst out finally. That was _clearly _not what she was worried about. At all. In fact, Rose was pretty sure she now had a crush on her cousin's best friend. Who also happened to be her friend, who also happened to be a Malfoy. Yes, her life was just perfect.

He looked slightly amused. "I can teach you," Scorpius offered.

She shook her head, slightly red in the face, and muttered, "I'll probably fall off the broomstick this time and die a slow, painful death filled with torture."

"Not if I'm behind you," he pointed out.

Rose caught her breath, gaping at him. "Behind me...?"

He nodded towards the broom he was holding. "Come on, Rose. It'll be fun. Let's go for a ride."

Her stomach twisted. But she took a step forward nervously. He smiled encouragingly. She lifted one leg over the broomstick, so she was now sitting in front of him on it. Scorpius casually put one arm around her waist, and she shivered at his closeness. "Don't be nervous," he murmured, misunderstanding her, "I won't let you die a slow painful death filled with torture from falling off _my_ broom. Not when I'm with you."

"Very reassuring," she managed, tightly gripping the front so hard her hands felt slightly numb.

"You need to relax."

She did her best to. "Like I can relax when I'm fifty feet up in the air, _Professor_."

"Suit yourself," Scorpius sighed. "Well, I'm kicking off now." She shrieked when the broom rose from the ground.

Did she mention she hated flying?

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><p><strong>An: Ah, forgot to update the author's note last time. :3. Well, there's not much to say...**

**(Fail at attempting to describe Scorpius and Hagrid's accent.. -_-) **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right? **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers and kittyatza for reviewing! **


	8. Overly Protective Cousin Mode

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>Rose squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look anywhere. If she did she might do something very horrible and embarrassing, in front of <em>Scorpius<em>. "You know you can open your eyes," Scorpius encouraged, "Just don't look down. It's not too bad, really. Are you a Gryffindor or not?"

She was so nervous for a few seconds she didn't understand what he was asking. Then suddenly she figured it out—he was indirectly asking if she was brave or not. "Of course I'm a Gryffindor!" Rose said indignantly, opening her eyes. The view drew her breath away. It was stunning, even at night. She could see the Forbidden Forest, and the castle, and Hagrid's hut. She wasn't scared of the fact that they were high up in the air. It was probably Scorpius who made her so calm. She let out a small sigh, realizing she was holding her breath. "You're right," she murmured, "It's not bad at all."

"Of course I'm right," Scorpius teased lightly. Rose wished she could see what him, and not the breathtaking view in front of her. Secretly she thought Scorpius looked more amazing than a hundred Hogwarts put together.

"You're better than me at flying and Defense Against the Dark Arts. That doesn't mean you're more right than I am."

A hand smoothed her wind-blown hair from behind, causing her heart to skip a beat. "I didn't really catch what you mean," he said.

"Er—it doesn't mean anything. Forget what I just said."

It was getting darker. "Can we go down now, please?" Rose asked finally.

"I would suggest staying up a little longer, but since you asked politely, then yes."

"Hey!" she complained, paused, then pointed out, "We're still in the air."

"It's good for you to practice descending."

She was becoming more and more nervous. "And how do I do that?"

"Remember first year?"

Oh. So that's how. She groaned, her stomach lurching. "Don't remind me." He put his hand on top of hers, and together they tilted the broom downwards. It wasn't so bad when Scorpius was there.

When they finally landed a few minutes later, Rose stumbled and crashed right into Scorpius. "Sorry!" She apologized quickly, feeling her ears turn red. He held on to her, a heartbeat longer than necessary.

"Hey, Rosie!" Al called, jogging towards them from the direction of Hagrid's hut. "We should get back to the castle before curfew! And...what are you two doing?" Rose pushed herself away from him.

Scorpius turned to face Al. "I was giving Rose a flying lesson."

He raised an eyebrow. "On the _same _broom?"

"Never mind," Rose snapped hotly. "Let's go in before we're caught."

They didn't discuss the flying any more, thank goodness. When they came to the staircase separating their dorms, Rose and Al waved at Scorpius before heading towards the Gryffindor common room. "So, do you want to tell me anything?" Albus asked, jumping into overly-protective-brother (or in this case, cousin)-mode. Rose blushed, looking down at the ground. "Don't tell me you _like _Scorpius. I know we're friends, but I'm not sure your father would handle things well if he learns your boyfriend is Malfoy's son."

"I DON'T LIKE HIM!" Rose bellowed a little too loudly, startling the Fat Lady out of her doze.

"That's not the password," she said sleepily.

Rose glared furiously at the portrait. "I never said it was. Gillyweed."

"Next time be a bit more quiet, will you?" The Fat Lady grumbled as her portrait swung back, admitting them in.

"Like you're one to talk," Rose muttered, resuming their earlier conversation, "You're the same age as me! Going into protective-mode."

"Protective-mode for what?" Lily Potter, Albus's younger sister and Rose's other cousin, demanded.

Albus ignored her as he warned softly, "Just don't get _too _friendly with him."

"Oh, 'him'?" Lily echoed, her eyes stretching wider than full moons, "Rosie likes a boy? Who?"

Rose felt her cheeks burning. "I never said anything about liking anyone! Mind your business, and leave me alone! I don't want to deal with someone who acts like my dad right now, Albus Severus Potter, thank you very much."

With that, she stormed off to the girls' dormitory. In her mind she replayed the flying scene with Scorpius over and over in her mind. She may have a crush on him, but she didn't like him, at least in the way Al assumed. She hoped. When she grew up, she'll marry a half-blood, or even a Muggle, or something. Screw Scorpius. He was just very attractive, and he was just her friend. That's all.

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><p><strong>An: I had to put Lily in. Ehehe... And Rose is being stubborn. But it's Al's fault.**

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right? **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza and blackrose1319 for reviewing! **


	9. Owls and Letters

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>"Hey, Al? Can I borrow Harriet?" Fourteen-year-old Rose asked at breakfast. Harriet was Al's snowy white owl, given to him as his fourteenth birthday present from Harry and Ginny.<p>

Al took his time to take a bite from his toast. "Well, one, Harriet isn't a _thing _that you can borrow or use as you please_. _And two, I was planning to use her myself. So, no, you can't. Sorry." Rose scowled at him. He didn't seem sorry even when he said it.

Lily and Hugo were chatting about the homework for Potions they forgot to do ("I hope Professor Dillon doesn't kill us," Lily fretted while Hugo replied with, "If he did he'll be mental! The worst he can do is dock some points..."), so Rose didn't interrupt them. "How else am I supposed to send my letter to Mum and Dad?"

"You can use the school owls," Al suggested as he swallowed, "Or..."

She stood up. "I'm going to ask Scorpius."

"Fine, fine, do what you want," Al watched as she headed towards the Slytherin table, clutching her letter in her hand.

Rose ignored the looks of loathe from the other Slytherins as she poked Scorpius in the side. "Er, Scorpius? Do you mind if I use your owl to send a letter to my parents?"

"Oh, yeah! Say 'hi' to your Mudblood mother for me, Weasley!"

She winced, but gazed calmly at Scorpius, blocking out all the other taunts. "Why don't you ask Al?"

She sighed. "He's being a jerk right now and wouldn't agree."

He nodded, getting up. "Let's go before class starts." As she hurried after him, he said, "You should ask your parents for an owl, too."

"Even if I did get an animal, I think I would prefer a cat," she admitted.

Halfway to the Owlery, a girl with dirty blonde hair and a smirk on her face intercepted them. "Scorpius, do you mind if I talk to you about something?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Rose rolled her eyes, wishing she was anywhere but there. "Somewhere this...half—_girl _doesn't hear us?" Rose knew she was about to say 'half-blood'.

"You know, Mandy, you can simply say 'Can we talk in private?'" Scorpius said darkly. Turning to Rose, he added, "My owl's name is Screech. Just call for him and he'll come. Tell him I gave you permission."

"T-Thanks," Rose stammered, watching as the girl took his hand and pulled him away. A strange feeling bubbled inside her, and she bit her lip. Shaking her head, she continued her walk.

The Owlery was filled. She didn't know what his owl looked like, so she called, "Screech!"

A moment later, a dirty brown eagle owl swooped down and studied her. "Er, do you mind delivering this letter for me? Scorpius said it was fine." The circling owl landed on her shoulder, understanding. "Hang on, let me add a postscript."

She reread the letter.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Everything's fine here. Lily and Hugo are both well, and Al's all right. He's been a bit snappy lately, but that's probably from dating this Gryffindor girl named Claire. I mean, we're in fourth year and he already has a girlfriend! Honestly, it bothers me sometimes. And no, I'm not jealous that I don't have a boyfriend yet. He's ignoring Scorpius and I most of the time now, which I suppose is fine. At least Scorpius still finds time to be with his friends, unlike Al. He's not bad, really. He taught me to fly! I'm getting better at it with practice. So, next time he comes over, please don't get mad at him. I know he's a Malfoy, but he's very different from his dad._

_And you don't have to trouble yourselves for getting me a birthday present._

_Lots of love,_

_Rose_

_P.S. I'm borrowing Scorpius's owl Screech to send this letter. Albus is being a jerk and refused to let me use Harriet._

Satisfied, she tied the letter onto Screech's leg, stroked his wing, then took him to the window. Scorpius was very handsome now, yes. But she didn't care. To her, he was just her friend. And now it seemed he was her only friend. So why was she jealous over the girl from earlier? As she hurried back to the Great Hall to gather her bag, she muttered over and over under her breath: "I don't like him. I don't like him."

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><p><strong>An: Rose is being stubborn. But it's Al's fault. **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right? **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319 and TomorrowsMorbidSunshine for reviewing! **


	10. Birthday Presents

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>It was Saturday, and it was Rose's birthday. Her fifteenth birthday. Even though O.W.L.S were coming up, Rose definitely was <em>not<em> going to ruin her birthday with studying. She jumped out of bed that morning, shaking Lily awake. "W-What, Rose?" Lily complained, rubbing her eyes. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Guess what today is?" Rose asked, twirling around.

"The day when you leave me alone so I can get some sleep?"

She rolled her eyes, whacking Lily on the arm. "No, dummy, it's my birthday!"

Lily squealed so loudly it wouldn't be a surprise if students in the Great Hall heard them. "OH MY GOSH! You're right! Happy birthday, Rosie! Here, my present for you!" She pulled out a wrapped box from under her bed, which turned out to be Chocolate Frogs. Rose beamed at her.

"Thank you, Lil! Let's go to breakfast! I want to see what Al got for me. That is, if he remembered it's today..."

She and Lily quickly dressed, then made their way to the Great Hall. They were one of the early risers that day, it seemed. Claire was practically sitting on Al's lap. "Morning," Al said, slightly embarrassed.

"Good morning, Al!" Rose sang, grinning at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're awfully cheerful this morning, Rose."

"It's my birthday, why else?"

He face palmed. "Ugh, remind me when we go to Hogsmeade today. I'll get you something there."

"That works, I guess," she said as the owls arrived. It wasn't long before Rose had about what seemed like a hundred presents scattered across her table. That's what happens when she had that many cousins.

Claire drifted over from where she sat beside Al. "Look at all theses presents," she said, "Let me guess...is it your birthday?"

Rose didn't like her much, and the feeling was mutual. "What do you think?" She muttered, wondering how she'll be able to migrate all her gifts back to the Gryffindor common room before Hogsmeade. "Oh, I know! _Levioso!_" With a wave of her wand, the presents hovered into the air around her. By now quite a few students had gathered around to see what the commotion was. It was a pretty common sight, too, as there were a lot of Weasleys and Potters at Hogwarts and their birthdays were all scattered throughout the year, so most were used to it by now.

"Need some help?" A voice asked from behind her.

She jumped, startled, and suddenly the presents dropped back onto the table. Rose spun around to find Scorpius watching her, smirking, with his arms folded across his chest. He seemed to be enjoying himself. "If you think you can get these to the dormitory any faster," Rose said dryly, glaring furiously at him, aware of her cheeks turning red. She hated how she always seemed to mess her spells up around him.

Scorpius raised his arm, holding his wand, and said, "_Levioso_!" He guided the presents away from the table, Rose following him nervously in case they were dropped yet again. She'll open them later when she had more time. He stopped in front of her, and she nearly crashed into him. He was gazing expectantly at her, and she suddenly realized what he was waiting for. They had arrived at the Gryffindor Tower.

"Password?"

"Oh, right. Dumbledore," Rose panted. The Fat Lady swung back and they walked in, and Rose was glad they were alone. Most other students were out on a day nice as this one.

"Is Dumbledore seriously your password?"

Rose glared at him in annoyance. "Shut up," she snapped, "It's not like I chose the password. Al did." She and Al were the Prefects chosen for fifth year, while Scorpius and a Slytherin girl (named Beatrice Nott) were for his house. Of course, with their high academic achievements, it wouldn't be a surprise if they ended up being Head Boy and Head Girl together, too. Scorpius let out a laugh. "I'll take these from here, thanks." He nodded, watching as she repeated the spell with her wand before heading to the girls' dormitory. After dropping the presents onto her bed, she hurried downstairs to find that Scorpius was still waiting for her. And there was a strange look on his face.

"Happy birthday, Rose," he said solemnly.

She felt her cheek flush again. "Er, thank you," she managed. She didn't dare ask if he had gotten her a present.

"You have something in your hair."

"I-I do?" She frowned, putting her hand in her hair.

He chuckled, watching her. "Come here, I'll get it out."

Nervously, she stepped closer to him, her heart thumping rather hard in her chest. Scorpius took her arm with his hand and pulled her towards him. And before she could say anything, she suddenly felt him pull her forward, his lips meeting hers.

That moment, she decided that she didn't care about the Chocolate Frogs Lily had given her, or the still-waiting-to-be-unwrapped ones on her bed. Scorpius Malfoy's kiss was the best birthday present she had ever received in her life.

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><p><strong>An: I don't know if Prefects can choose passwords, but... **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right?**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever and unknowingly'inlove for reviewing! **


	11. Truth or Dare

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>"MY DAUGHTER IS OUTSTANDING!" Ron boomed, flinging his arms around Rose. He chuckled slightly at his own pun, proudly holding the O.W.L.s results in the air. Hermione was beaming at her. Rose had, indeed, gotten an 'Outstanding' in most subjects. <em>Most<em>.

She took the paper and looked at it. "But I only got an 'Exceed Expectations' in Defense Against the Dark Arts," she pointed out dully. "Though I'm sure Scorpius probably got an 'Outstanding'." Her heart lurched nervously.

"I'm sure you beat him, Rosie," her father reassured her unsuccessfully, "You do have your mother's brains, after all!"

Hermione shot Ron an annoyed look, filled with amusement at the same time, and said, "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Rose smiled weakly at them, her mind still filled with thoughts about Scorpius.

Ron nodded, grinning. Rose hadn't seen her father so happy in ages, ever since inviting Scorpius to their Christmas party a few years ago, he had refused to let that happen again. "Let's go and announce your wonderful results to the rest of the family, shall we? I wonder how Al did, too." They were having yet another family reunion, in the summer.

Harry greeted them brightly outside. "Al got an 'Outstanding' in Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said, looking very pleased with his son. He too had apparently just received the results.

"Like father like son, eh?" Ron said cheerfully. "Rosie got an 'Outstanding' in Arithmancy, too!"

Al came running towards them. "Hey, we're playing Truth or Dare! Come _on_, dad!" When the family was this big, Truth or Dare was one of the few games they could play together and still have fun without accidentally hurting each other. And as it was they were all Wizards and Witches, some Truth Potion made them unable to lie even when choosing 'truth'. Rose, Ron, Hermione and Harry each took a sip from bottle.

"Who eez going first?" Asked Fleur, wiping her mouth with a disgusted look on her face, clearly hating the potion.

"Me!" Al yelled instantly, raising his hand and jumping up and down. Turning to Rose, he smiled slyly. "Truth or dare?"

Rose hesitated, staring at him with her eyes wide in horror. Finally, she said reluctantly, "Truth."

He didn't look very happy about her decision, but he went on anyway, "Then...Have you ever kissed a boy?"

"No," she answered truthfully. Besides, it was Scorpius who had initiated the kiss, not her. As she thought about that day again, she felt her cheeks burn.

_They stared at each other for a few heartbeats, quietly. "S-Scorpius..." Rose stammered, blushing furiously._

_"I didn't know what else to get you for your birthday," he said stiffly. "Just, forget about what happened, all right?"_

_She stared at him as he turned briskly and started walking out of the common room. "Scorpius, wait!" She called after him, wishing that she didn't. He turned around, his eyes blank and cold. _

_"No, forget it, Rose. Think what would happen if our parents..." _

_With that, he left, leaving her standing there with her hand reaching to her mouth, where Scorpius had just kissed her..._

Al broke her out from her thoughts. "What, seriously? Why are you blushing?"

She glared at him. "Besides, _he _kissed me, not the other way around!"

"Aha!" Al yelled triumphantly, pointing a finger at her, "So someone _did _kiss you! Who was it?"

Rose blushed. "First of all, it's rude to point. And secondly, you can only ask one question. It's my turn now, in case you forgot. Hmm...let's see...James! Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied, smirking.

She thought hard, for a long time. "I dare you to go to Hogwarts right now and bring back a toilet seat."

George and Hugo roared with laughter, while Hermione looked disapprovingly at her daughter. Even Al was sniggering. Harry looked like he was torn between smiling and frowning. "But that's illegal, isn't it? Breaking into Hogwarts over summer and taking something? I could be sent to Azkaban for that!" He shuddered, though Rose could tell he was faking it.

Rose grinned at him. "You asked for a dare, and I gave you one. It's not my fault if you get caught."

James sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine, I'll go. But first, I'm going to ask you truth or dare."

She gaped at him, and decided on truth. James might dare her to do something even more horrible than what she came up with. "Truth," she said, still aware of all the laughter echoing in the background.

"Oh, really? Who kissed you?"

She groaned. Ron suddenly seemed very interested in her reply, leaning in closer, and all the giggles stopped very abruptly. James was waiting intently for the answer. In a very small voice, Rose managed to forced out, "S-Scorpius Malfoy."

At once Ron was on his feet, his face completely red from anger. Hermione and Ginny tried to calm him down, but he pushed them both away. James snickered at her, mouthing "Good luck with that", before apparating off on his quest to bring back a Hogwarts toilet seat. Rose cringed as her dad bellowed furiously, "HOW DARE MALFOY'S SON KISS MY DAUGHTER?"

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><p><strong>An: I don't know if Prefects can choose passwords, but... **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right?**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, and brokenly yours for reviewing! **


	12. Author's Note

**Author's note- very important! **

**First of all, I would like to thank everyone who's reviewed _The Rose and The Scorpion _so far. You guys are awesome. **

**Secondly, I will say that this story will go on hiatus for 4 weeks. (I am going on a... uh, trip, and I don't know when I will have the time or internet to update. So don't expect daily ones like usual. I will write in my notebooks and update once I return, don't worry!) After that, school will be starting so I don't know how often I can update.**

**I have written a one-shot involving James and how he goes about doing the dare, titled _James Sirius Potter and the Hogwarts Toilet Seat_ if you're interested. Feel free to review it as well.**

**I apologize for the wait, and hope that you won't mind too much. **

**Once again, thank you all very much for reviewing. **

Out of curiosity, let's see how many reviews this chapter can get? XD


	13. Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>Rose took a deep breath, and looking boldly at her dad, said, "It was my birthday present."<p>

The Weasley's face was completely red. He took a deep breath, exchanged a dark look with Hermione, then, forced out through gritted teeth, "So he kissed you because it was your birthday?"

"I don't see a problem with that," Rose pointed out dryly. "He couldn't think of anything else to get me, and _I_ think it was rather sweet of him." Her cheeks flushed at this.

"What was sweet of who?"

They all jumped, turning to see James as he Apparated back with a grin on his face and his hand behind his back. Instantly, Rose took this as a cue to leave her father (who was being calmed down by her mother with gentle, coaxing words), and hurried over to her cousin. "Well? How did it go? Did you bring a toilet seat back like I dared you to?"

"Merlin, you ask a lot of questions," James remarked, producing what was behind his back. Rose beamed at him when she saw what he was holding. "But one at a time, my dear cousin."

Harry, who had came over to see what the fuss was about, widened his eyes as he stared at the Invisibility Cloak. "So _that's _where it's been," he pointed at the Cloak. "We will have a talk about this, James."

"Uh oh," James hissed under his breath, smiling sheepishly at his dad after straightening himself up. "How else would I be able to—ah!" He made an attempt to snatch the Marauders' Map as it fell out of his pocket.

His father folded his arms across his chest. "The map, too? Ginny, didn't I tell you not to tell him about it? _Accio _map!" It zoomed into Harry's outstretched hand. James looked disappointed while Ginny glanced fondly at her son.

"Harry, dear, I think you shouldn't punish him after all the trouble _you _went through with that map at Hogwarts."

Harry sighed, nodding slowly. "I suppose you're right."

James rolled his eyes, glanced at Rose, then grumbled, "If you two are going to snog, please do it somewhere more private."

His mother turned with a half-amused, half-stern expression. "However, I do think you need to learn your lesson. You, James, will help me clean up the house once we get back. No. Magic. Period."

"But, but—"

"No buts," Harry said firmly, "Listen to your mother, James Sirius Potter."

He winced at the sharpness of his dad's tone, and nodded reluctantly. Rose poked him in the arm, an annoyed look on her face. "I'm still here, you know." Of course, she was still waiting for him to tell her about his dare. And so he launched into the story about Moaning Myrtle, Filch, and how he escaped. She made comments here and there, nodding at the right places with her mouth wide at others, though he was sure her mind was somewhere else...perhaps with a certain Scorpius Malfoy...

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><p><em>Scorpius and Rose stood looking at each other beside the lake. "There's something I want to tell you, Rose," he confessed, shifting his feet nervously. Usually he was calm and composed, but he was definitely not just then... <em>

_"Yes?" Rose asked, her voice a little higher than what she would've liked. _

_He looked into her eyes. "I-I really lik—"_

"ROSE WEASLEY! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!"

She sat up, realizing it had just been a dream. She groaned. Why did her mother have to ruin the perfect moment? She was sure he was about to say "I really like you," or it could've been, "I really like cheese," or "I really like this weather," or even "I really like Hogwarts but you're annoying," (which really makes no sense at all). Stupid, stupid, stupid, she scolded herself. "Besides, it was a dream," she said out loud as she washed quickly and stumbled downstairs. The Potters were there, too. Al waved at her.

"What, mum?" She asked groggily, rubbing her eyes. "I was just having this wonderful dream—"

"—Where Malfoy was kissing you?" James finished, smirking. Al glanced at him, a small smile lingering on his face.

Instantly, her cheeks burned. "His name's Scorpius. But that's not the point. No, it wasn't kissing."

James sighed, looking disappointed. "Aw. I wanted to tease you."

"That's enough," Ginny scolded, putting a hand on James's shoulder.

Hermione glared at Ron, who seemed to be thinking of a good remark. "Rosie, we're going to Diagon Alley to get your books and supplies. Don't tell me you forgot it was today."

"Actually...I think I did," she admitted.

Ron nodded at the Floo Powder. "Come on, then, you lot. Let's not waste any more time."

Once they had all successfully made it to Diagon Alley, the Potters and Weasleys began their annual book-buying. "Let's see..." Ron glanced down at Rose's supply list. "_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6), Advanced Potion-Making, Confronting the Faceless, Guide to Advanced Transfiguration..._" He read out loud.

"Can I go buy some Owl Treats for Harriet?" Al asked suddenly.

Ginny exchanged a glance with Harry. "Why not, Al?" She said. "Rose, you still don't have an animal yet, do you?"

She shook her head, but she was looking at some place not far from where they were, at Magical Menagerie. Her heart skipped a beat. "Uh, Al, is that Scorpius?" Ron instantly stiffened at his name. "Honestly, dad, anyone would think you just heard Voldemort's name. Scorpius is my friend. He's not that much like his father, you know."

"Scorpius is your friend who happened to kiss you," Ron muttered.

Ignoring him, both she and Al ran towards where Scorpius had just come out with his family. "Scorpius!" Al called, grinning. Scorpius looked up, and a smile spread across his face.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy," Rose greeted politely.

Draco Malfoy grunted something quietly that sounded suspiciously like "At least you have better manners than your father."

Scorpius took Rose's hand, causing her to jump in surprise. "Come on, Rose. I didn't get you a birthday present last year. You said you preferred cats, right?"

"No—you—don't have to—" Rose protested, remembering the kiss again, as he led her into the shop.

There were what seemed to be a thousand different choices. He showed her a few that he thought were 'decent', but in the end, she picked a light brown tabby and white female cat which she decided to name Hermia after a character from a Muggle play titled _A Midsummer Night's Dream _(she was always fond of it). She was still stuttering her thanks as they walked out, holding hands with her free hand gripping tightly to the carrier. Ron narrowed his eyes when he spotted her. He was standing what seemed to be a hundred feet away from the Malfoy family, who too were patiently waiting for their son. "What's that?" He asked.

"A present," Scorpius answered.

"She still hasn't gotten a pet for a reason," Ron snarled.

Hermione looked desperate as she took her husband's hand. "Ron, please, compose yourself. We _were _talking about getting Rosie a cat. Thank you, Scorpius." He nodded coldly.

"I'll see you on the train, then," he said, kissing her (much to Ron's annoyance) on the cheek before heading off with his parents. Al watched him go with a stunned expression on his face.

"What were you saying about buying our books?" Rose asked brightly, turning to her dad as if nothing had happened. Something told her he had kissed her to annoy her dad, but she still wished there was a deeper reason...

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><p><strong>An: Ah, yes, an update... but don't expect one daily. I wrote most of this chapter on the plane. **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right?**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oc, Kamai000, and the-awesomeness12 for reviewing! **


	14. Confessions and Neville's Advice

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>Rose, Albus and Scorpius sat staring at each other on the Hogwarts Express. "Hi," Rose said nervously, stroking Hermia.<p>

"Hi," Scorpius echoed, watching her as she stroked the cat.

"My awkwardness meter is going 'Ding!'" Albus said unnecessarily. He was taking Muggle Studies for no apparent reason (as his father grew up with Muggles, while Hermione was from a Muggle family) and had decided to try some very un-Wizard sentences.

Blushing, Rose looked at Scorpius shyly. "Um—er—well…"

"Can you please talk in complete sentences, Rosie?" Al teased, grinning at them. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm the matchmaker here?"

Scorpius ignored Al, stretching across to pet Hermia gingerly. "I see you find your present acceptable?"

"What do you mean, 'acceptable'? It's lovely!" Rose smiled at him.

He nodded, satisfied. "Good."

"But I thought the present was when you kissed me?" She countered. He hadn't said anything about that day ever after, though she often spent nights wondering about it. And the other day, when he kissed her on the cheek…Rose was now pretty sure, no, she was _positive _that she was irrevocably and unintentionally in love with him, but what he felt about her was another question all together. Scorpius was, in simple words, amazing. She loved everything about him: he was smart, he was good at Quidditch, he was caring if he wanted to be, he was just…Scorpius.

Scorpius looked rather uncomfortable, so Al decided to answer instead. "Why don't you two just declare your love for each other, officially start dating, and get it over with?"

"Shut up, Al," Rose grumbled, "Just because you've had a girlfriend (who you broke up with) doesn't mean you can start giving us relationship advice. Besides, my dad would never approve if I decided to break the Weasley tradition and ran off to marry a Malfoy." Hermia was now purring very loudly, as if trying to break the tension. Raising an eyebrow, Rose added, "And I thought even _you _warned me not to get too friendly? Remember that time in third year?"

"I've changed my mind," Al announced. "And sorry if I offend you, but your dad needs to—"

"—kill himself? Be attacked with an Unforgivable Curse? Grow up? Realize that Malfoys have changed since the war?" Scorpius suggested humorlessly.

Rolling her eyes, Rose sighed. "Yes, he should."

Both Al and Scorpius glanced at her, surpised. "Merlin, Rose, I thought you would have more affection towards your dad. I didn't think you'd like to watch while he's killed with _Avada Kadevra_. Oh, shoot, I just said an Unforgivable Curse. You're pretty cruel, you know."

She shot Al a death glare, but it was Scorpius who spoke. "Rose, if, hypothetically, we started dating, will you be willing to tell your parents? Or keep it a secret from the entire school, which, as I see, would be impossible?"

"Scorpius, if, hypothetically, we _did _start dating, which I would love very much, then I wouldn't mind telling my family. I would love to see the look on their faces."

"Then it's settled!" Al said brightly.

Rose and Scorpius frowned. "What, Al? We were talking _hypothetically_." She flushed as she realized they had spoken in unison.

"How do you _really _feel about me, Scorpius?" She asked hesitantly.

He simply gazed evenly back at her. "How do _you _feel about _me_?"

Al stood up. "I have to use the toilet," he said, obviously to leave them alone, before sliding the door to their compartment open and dashing out.

Rose fumbled with her hair, took a deep breath, and looked right into Scorpius's eyes, which she realized was a very difficult task without her feeling embarrassed. "I…I really like you, Scorpius," she confessed, "No, actually, I think I may be in love with you." _This isn't how it went in my dream_, she thought, _but at least I did tell him_.

His eyes brightened, and he smiled, taking her hand in his. "I've liked you for a very long time, Rose," he admitted, a little embarrassed, then copying her, said, "No, actually, I think I may be in love with you."

She beamed at him, and still holding his hand, got up and sat down next to him instead. Albus returned shortly after to find his seat taken. He didn't question why Rose laid her head on Scorpius's shoulder for the duration of the trip.

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><p>"<em>Rose Weasley<em>!"

She looked up to find Professor Longbottom gazing sternly at her. The Gryffindors were having Herbology with the Hufflepuffs—one of the few classes in which they weren't with Slytherin (and Scorpius), but even when they weren't together she often thought about that day on the train. "Rose, what are you doing?"

Gulping, she replied, "Watering the plant like you said, Professor."

Neville shook his head disapprovingly. "No, no, Rose. I asked you to water the _plant_, not the ground. You've been daydreaming again, haven't you? Is something wrong? You're not usually this distracted."

"I—I'm fine, Professor." _I'm not going to tell him that I'm dating Scorpius Malfoy, for Merlin's Sake!_

"You're sure you don't need a visit to my—the Hospital Wing?" He questioned.

Rose knew he was about to say "_my wife_". For a brief moment she wondered what it would be like to be married to Scorpius.

_"Miss Weasley."_

_"I'm Mrs. Malfoy. Scorpius's wife."_

Neville sighed. "See, your head's in the clouds again. You're taking N.E.W.T.S. next year and should prepare for them. I do not want any messing up from my usually top student. See me after class."

It wasn't her problem. Rose sniffed as he walked away, checking on the progress of the others. It was Scorpius who kept barging into her mind. But there was no way she could actually blame him. He didn't do it on purpose. She just liked him too much. Groaning, she returned to her assignment. At least Neville hadn't docked any points for her lack of attention. When he dismissed the rest of his class, she told Al to go on and stayed behind. Neville cleaned the mess with a flick of his wand, then walked over to her. "You know you can tell me anything, Rose," he said gently. "I'm all ears."

She shuffled her feet, not knowing what to say. Finally, she decided on "You'll just tell my parents."

He blinked warmly at her. "I promise I won't say anything until I decide if it's serious enough to tell them. I know how Ron is sometimes."

Rose nodded gloomily. "Last time he freaked out."

Neville placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let me guess…Does it have anything to do with Mr. Malfoy?"

She flinched, her face red. "H-How did you know?"

"It's pretty obvious. Scorpius has also been rather clumsy in my class lately. I bet the other teachers have figured it out, too."

_So Scorpius must've been thinking about me, too, _she realized with a jolt, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "He's not like his father," she defended him instantly.

Neville nodded with agreement. "I know he's not. He's my pupil, you know."

She let out a sigh of relief. "What do you think, Professor?"

He chuckled to himself. "Oh, teenagers. I remember when I was your age. But, what do I _think_ about the two of you? Scorpius is a good student and a very caring person. I trust that the two of you won't make any decisions that can be harmful. I'll have a word with him later. Don't worry, I don't hate him because his father is Draco—though he did do some horrid things to me in the past."

"Thank you, Professor!" Rose beamed at him.

He nodded again. "I'm glad to have helped, Rose, and I won't tell your parents until you think it's time. I'll write a note for your next teacher, Professor Dillon, right?"

"Yes," she said, glad that at least someone didn't die from shock (who also figured it out pretty quickly).

"Well, you should go before you miss too much."

Taking the parchment, she stuffed it into her bag and turned to leave. "Right!"

"And pay attention!" Neville called after her.

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><p><strong>An: Chapter 14! And they _finally_ confess.. ah, Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, chapter 14... never mind. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**Review? Suggestions are welcome too! My favorite thing is to wake up in the morning with review alerts in my inbox (way better than favorites/story alerts). Well, one of them. Reviews motivate me to write more (and know that at least some people are reading), so more reviews=quicker updates. Click on that lovely button? Greatly appreciated. ^_^ And it doesn't take too long, right?**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oc, Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, and Little-Basque for reviewing! **


	15. Romeo and Juliet

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. **

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><p>"Is it true?" Lily Potter demanded, an awed look on her face as she stared at her cousin. "Is what Al told me true?"<p>

Rose blinked. "Is what true?" She asked innocently.

The younger Potter huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't act dumb, Rose. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

She shifted, taking a rather long time before answering, "If you mean me and Scorpius, then yes."

Lily gaped at her. "That's _so _adorable! Oh, star-crossed lovers. So sweet, yet so sad." Rose frowned at her cousin. She really made no sense sometimes. "Star-crossed lovers?"

"Of course, Rosie! _Romeo and Juliet_, right? Shakespeare? Malfoys and Weasleys never get along, yet here you are, falling in love with Malfoy's son!

"Honestly, Lil, if you ask me, I think if _you _fell in love with him it would make more sense. Potters and Malfoys fit better than Weasleys and Malfoys."

Lily frowned. "What are you talking about? Potters and Malfoys don't _fit_. They hate each other, if that's what you meant. Besides, why are you worried about _me _falling in love with Scorpius? You two make the perfect couple! Just…be careful about the future, Rose. I would hate your romance to turn into a Shakespeare play."

Rose tightened her arms around Hermia, stiffening. Her younger cousin seemed a lot more mature than her age. She tried to lighten the mood. "No wonder you're so good at Divination, Lil."

"This isn't about Divination, Rose," Lily sniffed.

Sighing, Rose commented, "First Neville, now you. This will _definitely _no longer be a secret by the end of the year."

"Have fun hiding it," Lily said brightly. "Half of the school knows by now, I bet. Some probably figured it out way before the two of you did."

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><p>The Divination teacher, Professor Brien, often paired the houses with each other, much to the Gryffindors' dismay, as they had to work together with Slytherin. Rose, however, now was very glad she did—she could spend time with Scorpius somewhere that was not in an empty classroom. "Good afternoon, class," she said as she drifted to the front. "Choose a partner, please, from the other house." Groaning, the Gryffindors complied. Only Rose and Scorpius seemed very happy with this arrangement. "We will be Crystal Ball gazing today with your partner. Tell me what your future with that person will be, and whoever makes the most accurate prediction will receive the most points. Refer to your textbook should you have any questions. Begin."<p>

Rose scowled as she peered into the Crystal Ball. "What does she mean by the 'most accurate prediction' if we don't know what the future will be?" Divination wasn't exactly her favorite subject, much like her mother, but she didn't storm out of the class in third year.

"Good point," Scorpius agreed, nodding to where Al had paired up with a Slytherin girl named Anna Zabini.

Rose followed his gaze, grinning when she heard what Al was saying. "Let me see…in the future, I will be somewhere far, far away from you."

"Yeah," she shot back through gritted teeth, "And I will be hunting you down and killing you."

Al shuddered, and gave Rose and Scorpius a thumbs up when he spotted them watching him.

Scorpius looked into the ball for ages, deep in thought. He flipped through the Divination textbook, completely focused on the task. Finally, he said, "In the future, I will be with you."

Rose flushed as he passed the ball to her. "And I'll be with you," she said quietly, not even bothering to study it like she was supposed to, "Together." She ignored Lily's prediction from earlier. Just because their families hated each other doesn't mean their life would end in tragedy.

"No, no, no!" She jumped at the closeness of Professor Brien's voice. The teacher was staring disapprovingly at Al and Anna's report. She clicked her tongue. "No deaths involved. Unless you see the Grim, my dear, I'm sure you will live a very long life."

Al didn't seem convinced as he muttered, "Yeah, and I'm sure as long as I'm near _her _I'll be long gone."

"But—" At this, she picked up the neatly written report from Rose and Scorpius's table, "—Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy has gotten the hang of this activity. Ten points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin, and may the two of you enjoy your future together."

A few of the students snickered. Al rolled his eyes at his cousin, and mouthed, "Have fun!" What felt like hours later, Divination was finally over. As they walked out of the room together, Rose said to Scorpius, "That went well."

He nodded. "You will tell your parents, right? About us? The other day, Professor Longbottom made me swear to him that I won't dump you for a pure-blood. Which, of course, would be a ridiculous thing to do."

"Yes, I do plan to. About all of my family here already knows, too, so if I don't say something soon one of them might slip the 'secret' to my dad. I trust you, Scorpius, and I know you won't hurt me or my family for that matter," Rose answered truthfully. In fact, she felt extremely safe around him. To the point that even if Voldemort somehow magically decided to come back to life, as long as Scorpius was by her side, she wouldn't mind if he killed her (and spared him).

Scorpius half-smirked and half-smiled, took her free hand and squeezed it. "Don't trust me _too _much," he whispered very softly. "Feel free to speak out any time."

"I-I was thinking that you could come over for Christmas again? And announce it to the rest of the, er, Weasley/Potter Clan?" She suggested.

He didn't look happy as he replied, "Yeah, and have an awkwardly silent dinner and ruin your reunion? I would rather not. Besides…there's…kind of…something going on at Malfoy Manor, too. A Christmas Ball." Rose could tell he was uncomfortable as he told her.

"A ball as in a round object? Or—"

"A dance," he confirmed, adding grimly, "For pure-bloods only."

"Oh."

Silence. Rose shifted, knowing how Scorpius hated his family's pure-blood obsession.

Scorpius sighed. "My father's an idiot. I—I really wish you could come. I asked him if inviting you and Al would be fine, but he said no. His exact words were, 'Scorpius, are you an idiot? ("Of course I'm not," he added to Rose.) What part of _pure-blood _do you not understand? This ball's for pure-bloods only. No half-bloods or whatever else there are these days. Definitely _not _Potters and Weasleys.'"

Rose couldn't help laughing at how close he sounded to his father. When Scorpius eyed her questioningly, she commented, "You're even amazing at mocking people."

He wasn't pleased.

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><p><strong>An: Not much to say, but hope you liked it! **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oc, Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, FatallyUnique, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm, Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, and kaitlin98 for reviewing! **


	16. The Secret Revealed

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>Draco Malfoy stared at his son. It wasn't really Scorpius he was actually looking at—it was the fact that he was holding none other than his archenemy's best friend's daughter's hand. "Scorpius, would you mind explaining to me what this is about?" He asked as Scorpius, Albus and Rose came towards him from the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the Christmas holidays.<p>

He quickly dropped her hand. "I invited Rose and Al over for Christmas," Scorpius told his father lightly.

"With_out _my permission?" Draco scowled unpleasantly.

Al gestured to himself and Rose. "Both our parents said it was fine, so, Mr. Malfoy, Scorpius decided ahead with_out_ your approval."

"Since when have you taken over decision making in Malfoy Manor, eh, Scorpius?" Draco asked coldly.

"I will one day. Why not start now with some practice?" Scorpius muttered under his breath. Albus burst out laughing, much to Draco's annoyance.

Astoria prodded her husband with her wand. "Come on, Draco, it's not that big of a deal if your childhood enemies' children decided to come over, is it? Lighten up, for Merlin's sake," she said sternly. Rose was briefly reminded of her own mother, who often spoke similarly to her father. "Besides, you're the one who decided to make that dance pure-blood only. It wouldn't hurt for a few non pure-bloods to come, anyway."

By now, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny had joined the group along with Lily, Hugo and James (who came along with the already-too-big group). "Don't kill my daughter, Malfoy, you hear me?" Ron growled threateningly.

"Thanks for reminding me to kill her, Weasley," Draco Malfoy shot back with a smirk, "I almost forgot."

"_Draco_!"

"_Ron_!"

Rose exchanged a glance with Scorpius and Al, rolling her eyes. Deciding to make things worse, she took a deep breath and said, "Mum, dad, I—er—" She broke off, deciding whether to go on or not. Scorpius gave the slightest nod of his head.

"What, Rosie?" Ron demanded, "Did you get a one-hundred fourteen percent on your last Potions test?"

"Actually, I received a one-hundred twenty-three, and Scorpius scored one-hundred twenty-two," she corrected, adding quickly, "but that's not what I was going to tell you."

Hermione blinked at her. "Is it something you want to say in front of the entire Mal—Scorpius's family?"

She nodded in reply. "Yes, in fact. You—see—we, ah, well…"

"Just tell us what's wrong," Ron demanded. "Has Scorpius been bothering you? If he has—"

"No, no, he hasn't. It's the opposite, actually," she interrupted before he could finish. Rose was fairly certain he was about to say something along the lines of, "If he has, I'll murder him!" which, of course, would make things much worse than what she and Scorpius had anticipated.

"The opposite?" Hermione echoed, her eyes widening with understanding and surprise. "Oh!"

Ron still hadn't seemed to figure out what she meant, so she said rather loudly, "Scorpius and I are dating, Dad! Yes, _dating_! I don't care how you feel about his father, but I'm in love with him and there's nothing you can do about it, period!"

"Is this true, Scorpius?" Malfoy and Astoria both asked seriously. Scorpius managed a smile.

Ginny had pulled her brother off to the side, whispering something furiously to him with a fierce jerk in the arm now and then. Harry didn't seem to mind, nodding slowly as if he had already expected something like this to happen. "Neville sent me an owl not long ago," Harry began smoothly, "telling me about Lil's and Al's achievements. That wasn't the only reason he decided to mail me. He made a point for me to stop hating you, Draco, and to see someone other than an ex-Death Eater's father in his son. Now I see why."

"Well, just don't do something stupid," Ron said gruffly, rejoining them. His face was completely red; he had either been shouting, or very angry, or both. Hermione beamed at him, glad that he had finally come to his senses.

"Oh, Dad, thank you!" Rose cried with relief, flinging her arms around him in a hug. He went even redder, if possible. "I won't let you down. I'll still study hard and beat Scorpius in every test, don't worry."

Ron awkwardly returned his daughter's hug, facing Draco with a glare of fury. "Look, Malfoy, I don't want _any _heartbreaking while I'm still alive. Be warned. Come on, you people, we're going!"

"Enjoy your stay," Hermione added warmly, kissing Rose on the cheek. "Sixth year, huh? It was seventh year when your father finally decided that he was in love with me. No, wait, actually I was the one who kissed him first." With a smile, she hurried after her husband. Harry and Ginny whispered some last-minute words to Al, who nodded importantly, before joining the Weasleys. Rose and Al stood side by side, watching them leave.

Draco didn't speak as he led his family and the two _un_wanted guests out of the station. Scorpius fell in step with Rose. "I'm glad that's over," he breathed in her ear. She shuddered at his proximity. "I can't believe my father gave in. You were very brave, telling your father like that."

Blushing, she murmured shyly, "I probably wouldn't have been so brave if you hadn't been there."

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><p><strong>An: I'm curious... in some fanfictions I've read, the Head Boy and Head Girl live together in their own dorm. Though it wasn't specifically mentioned in the books. What do you guys think? I'm thinking of using that idea, but then it would be too cliché and unoriginal if it was fan-created.**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oc, Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm, Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, and kaitlin98 for reviewing! **

**This is my most-ever reviewed fanfiction. Thank you all for reading up until now! **


	17. Malfoy Manor

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>Rose could only gap as she stared at the magnificent manor before her. She had never seen a house like it. Her mother had told her of the horrors that she had experienced at this very manor, but as she looked at Malfoy Manor for the very first time, all the images of monsters and Dementors floating around the place in her mind vanished. It was different from the one in her imagination, that was for sure. "Wow," she breathed, unable to find another word to describe her thoughts just then. She held Hermia up. "Look, Hermia, this will be our home for the next few days." The cat purred in reply, snuggling against Rose's cheek.<p>

"I bet you're imagining the day when you'll be living in here with Scorpius," Al teased, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Both Scorpius and Rose turned bright red, looking anywhere but at each other. "Hey!" She complained, aiming a punch at her cousin but missing, "Quit talking about something that far off!" Lowering her voice, she added, with a glance at Scorpius's father, "Don't make things worse than they are already. Malfoy isn't very happy right now, and he might just decide to kick us out with any good enough reason he gets."

Upon entering, Draco called out, "Tinky!" There was a loud _crack! _and Rose jumped slightly as a House Elf appeared in front of them, bowing low to the ground.

"Welcome home, Master," she said respectively. "Is there anything Tinky can do for you?"

"Clean up those guest bedrooms in the back," he commanded, "and prepare dinner." With another polite bow, she vanished as suddenly she had come.

Rose let out the breath she realized she was holding. "A House Elf, huh?" She asked, remembering Hermione's obsession with S.P.E.W. She didn't mind House Elves so much herself, but being in the presence of someone who cared, she was beginning to join the 'dark side'.

"What did you think, Rosie? A family with as much money as the Malfoys, it wouldn't be a surprise for them to have a House Elf, even _after _Dobby," Al pointed out.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Scorpius offered, his eyes following Draco's back as his father headed down the hall with Astoria. He led them this way and that, showing Rose and Al the different rooms the mansion contained. Rose was sure she would get lost if Scorpius or another Malfoy wasn't with her.

She studied the current room they were standing in fondly (it was the library). "So many books," she commented dreamily, "It'll take forever if I wanted to read them all."

"Take your time," Scorpius said.

She turned red again, playfully hitting him in the shoulder with her free hand, the other still holding her cat. "Oh, Scorpius, I know what you're implying."

With a sigh, Al followed slowly as Scorpius toured them away. "And this, is the basement, where—" He broke off mid-sentence abruptly.

She stiffened. Rose knew exactly what had happened in the basement of the manor before she was born—the place where Bellatrix Lestrange had tortured her mother. Scorpius took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly, wordlessly reassuring her that she was safe and that he was with her. Al coughed, then suggested, "Show us to our rooms, eh, Scorpius?" He asked in the way Draco had spoken harshly to Scorpius earlier. He gazed blankly at Al, gave his head a small shake, and turned away from the basement.

"Well, here's your room, Al," Scorpius said in a very small voice, as if struggling to keep calm. "You can put your things in here. Rose's is across the hall, so I'll just help her settle in."

As soon as they were alone, he turned to her apologetically. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I know it must be hard for you."

She shrugged. "That's in the past, right? _You're _different, Scorpius. _You_ won't randomly decide to torture me because of my heritage. I-I don't really mind. Everything's changed after the war."

He nodded, his lips pressed together in a thin line, opening the door to the second guest room. "This is one of the smallest rooms in the house," he muttered with a sigh. "I tried asking my father to give you a bigger room, but—"

"Oh, Scorpius, what are you talking about? Compared to my room in our house, this one's _huge_!" Rose interrupted him, managing a smile. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly; his trademark half-smile. Rose walked in and collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling (Hermia leapt out of her arms, claiming the armchair by the fireplace). It was extremely comfortable. In fact, just about _everything _in Malfoy Manor was some of the best she has ever come into contact with. "Mmm…" she said peacefully, closing her eyes and enjoying the softness of the bed. There was a soft _swish _and when she opened her eyes again, she found Scorpius gazing down at her, his hands supporting him as he leaned down over her on the bed. Her heart fluttered as she looked up at him. His captivating gray eyes met hers, and she felt her cheeks burn. "Scorpius…" She trailed off, unable to find anything to say.

"Shh," he whispered, then leaned down further until their lips met. Rose sat up, pulling him down beside her, kissing him, her hand instinctively reaching for his shirt. She had never felt this _way_ before, but she enjoyed every moment as he caressed her, his lips brushing against her neck…

Astoria, checking how the guests were doing, smiled to herself as she gently closed the door to Rose's room.

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><p><strong>An: So much fluff! :3 (I'm not very good at writing very romancy scenes, so please excuse me...)**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm, Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98 and kirra993 for reviewing! **


	18. Family Dinner

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>"Hey, Scorpius?" Rose asked as she snuggled against him.<p>

"Mmm-hmm?"

They were sitting together on the bed, Rose in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her. "I've been wondering about something," she began, hoping she didn't sound like an idiot, "I mean, we've been dating for half a year now, and I-I still don't know what's your favorite color."

He kissed her cheek, his hand reaching up to stroke her hair. "Green," he answered, "and rose."

"Not funny."

"The color rose."

"Ah. And why green? Because it's Slytherin's famous color?"

Scorpius stiffened against her. "No. Because it's the color of the man who saved my father's eyes."

"My uncle? Harry Potter?"

"Exactly." They sat in silence for a few minutes, Rose's back pressed against his chest. "What about yours?"

She realized he didn't know what hers was, either. Smiling, she answered, "Gray."

"Is it because my eye color's gray?"

"How did you know?"

He smirked. "I know you too well, Rosie."

The door flung open, causing them both to jump. Al stood in the doorway, nervously running a hand through his hair. "Sorry to interrupt, but your House Elf just came and told me that dinner's ready. Sadly, I don't know where the dining room is and I don't exactly want to spend time alone with your parents, Scorpius, so I decided to come find you two."

Rose pushed herself away from him, straightening her shirt. "Hermia, dinnertime!" She called to where the cat was curled up, asleep. Hermia lifted her head sleepily, let out a faint "Meow!", arched her back and jumped down to join the three.

Scorpius guided them into the dining room, taking his seat between his parents. Astoria smiled kindly to Rose and Albus, nodding to the two chairs beside her. Rose took one gratefully, thanking her. She had heard that Scorpius's mother was a pure-blood, two years younger than his father, and a great Witch in her own right. What Rose didn't think was that she, unlike Blacks or Malfoys, didn't mind half-bloods or Muggle borns. Rose instantly took a liking to her. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," she said as Tinky provided them with the first course.

"No need to be formal," Astoria said, "Make yourself at home, dear."

Out of curiosity, Rose asked, "So, um, you don't mind if Al and I came to your dance?"

She shook her head, a look of disgust on her face. "Oh, no, why would I? I have nothing against half-bloods."

Rose let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried you were just saying that to Mr. Malfoy," she fretted.

"Don't worry, Rose. I'm sure Draco will…come to his senses soon enough. He was planning for this Durmstrang girl to be Scorpius's dance partner, you know. I can't believe he picked her because she's a pure-blood."

"R-Really?" Rose mumbled, glancing at Scorpius. He was having a staring contest with Draco, their eyes narrowed.

Astoria offered Rose the plate of mashed potatoes, which she accepted. She carefully ate a spoonful. It was delicious. After she swallowed, Rose said, "This food is amazing, Mrs. Malfoy!"

She smiled again, patting Rose on the shoulder. "I see your parents taught you good manners. I won't have to trouble you in the future with _those _lessons."

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><p><em>Lily,<em>

_Please help me. I don't know what to wear to the Ball. Something that's not too formal but still pretty. Something Scorpius would like. Send Screech back with an answer soon? _

_Love, _

_Your cousin Rose_

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><p>"Hey, Rose? Have you seen Screech anywhere? He's been gone an awful lot lately," Scorpius wondered as he poked his head into Rose's room.<p>

She looked up from the book she was reading. "Er, it _is _okay if I send some letters to my family with him, isn't it?" She was definitely not going to tell him she was asking Lily for help about the dress.

He nodded, eyes filled with relief. "Oh, that's fine. I was just slightly worried how he missed dinner, that's all."

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><p><em>Rosie,<em>

_I'm writing this in secret. James had wanted to kidnap that owl for some "studying", as he called it. I couldn't let Screech get hurt now, could I? Especially if Scorpius finds out James murdered him. So, I hid him. And the letter. And me. Well, sorry if this is causing any problems (I'm writing in the lavatory)._

_Anyway, about that dress…you did tell me once that his favorite color is rose, right? I know it's also green but green doesn't look good on you—someone with flaming Weasley hair! Well, I suggest something rose-colored, like dark pink or light red or something along those lines. A semi-formal should do. We _could _go shopping, but there's not enough time. _

_Tell me how things go._

_Lily_

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><p><em>Lily,<em>

_I don't know if the dress Al helped me pick is good. It's a little too showy. Though we did choose a rose colored one like you suggested. Dark pink isn't my type. I love how the bottom edges seemingly float when I spin around in it! The silky quality is amazing, and I don't mind wearing it that much. It's long-sleeved. Anyway, thank you so much for your help, Lil! I don't know what I would've done. Definitely not ask Scorpius. _

_Rose_

_P.S. Al took a picture of me in the dress. I'm enclosing it in the envelope, too. _

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><p><strong>An: Ehehe, hope you liked this chapter. :3 **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm, Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing! **

**This list is getting extremely long... I might stop adding new reviewer names from now on... you guys won't mind, right? Besides, I'm grateful for all of your reviews. **


	19. Preparations

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>Christmas Eve. Normally, Rose Weasley and Albus Potter would be at the annual Weasley Christmas party, but <em>this <em>time, they were not. Rose and her cousin were at Malfoy Manor, the "Pure-blood Christmas Ball" (which isn't really pure-blood anymore) moments away. Rose stood in front of the mirror, fretting over the too much lipstick she accidentally applied during her excitement. Al stood next to her, readjusting his tie with the occasional shake of his head and a frown.

"Do you think I look all right?" Rose fussed. "I don't normally put on stuff like this, so I don't want to overdo it or under-apply it."

Al patted her on her back. "My dear favorite cousin, don't worry. I'm sure Scorpius won't mind if you have a tiny excess bit of blush on your cheek. Or lipstick. Or whatever makeup you put on too much. Relax. He's not picky. Merlin, he fell in love with you _without _any makeup on, so why should he care about small details like that now?"

She felt her cheeks burn. "What, so I'm your favorite cousin now? I'm sure Hugo, Dominique, Victoire and everyone else would hate you and kill you for what you just said."

He chuckled, loosening the knot on his tie slightly. "Then...you're my favorite _Gryffindor_ cousin."

"That _still _makes me your favorite cousin, Al. Every Weasley has been in Gryffiindor for, oh, I don't know, centuries."

Al grinned. "That's because _you_ are my favorite cousin. I can't pretend you're not!" With that, he turned and danced out of the bathroom. "Better put on that dress-which-I-helped-you-pick, Rosie! It's almost time!" He called back.

"Okay, okay, I'm _coming_!" She yelled at him, feeling extremely nervous. Not only did she not know how to dance, she had never been to a dance, either. She did not want to embarrass Scorpius or his parents by her poor performance. She followed Al out of her bedroom, wishing she didn't have to be there.

Al sighed. "You'll be fine, Rosie. This is a lot easier than taking tests, that's for sure!"

"That's what _you _think," she retorted, stopping when she spotted Scorpius waiting for them. His mouth opened as if he was about to speak when he saw her, but he quickly closed it.

He offered her his hand, which she took without hesitation. "You look lovely, Rose."

"T-Thank you," she managed, her heart pounding in her chest. _Calm down, Rose! _She reprimanded herself sharply, taking a deep breath.

"The dress which I helped her pick," Al added.

She glared at him. "Al, we know that you helped me pick it, all right? Now quit making things worse than they already are."

Scorpius squeezed her hand. "Don't tell me you're scared?"

She nodded. "I can't dance," she whispered in a small voice. "I'll mess things up!"

"I trust that you won't," Scorpius promised. "Besides, I'll guide you. I won't let you fall."

"That's comforting," Rose muttered anxiously.

Scorpius exchanged a glance with Al. "Think of it as…a test, if that makes things easier."

"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no. Not a test. If it's a test, I'll fail it!"

"Come _on_, my dear cousin! This is fun! You were the one who wanted to come!" Al said, batting puppy-dog eyes at her.

Giving in, Rose reluctantly permitted Scorpius to pull her closer to the ballroom. She shot one last look at Al behind her. Scorpius turned back and asked Al quietly, "How did you get her to come?"

Al grinned evilly in response. "My awesome persuasion skills."

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><p><strong>An: Next chapter: the dance. How will it go? Hmm... **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm, Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing! **

**This list is getting extremely long... I might stop adding new reviewer names from now on... you guys won't mind, right? Besides, I'm grateful for all of your reviews.**

**(very random announcement: I REGISTERED FOR POTTERMORE! Day 6. Oh yes.)**


	20. Unexpected Turn of Events

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>As Scorpius, Rose and Al entered the ballroom, a girl with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes came hurrying towards them. "Scorpius, oh Scorpius!" She sang, flinging her arms around him. "It's been forever since I last saw you, dearest! How are you?" Rose frowned, studying the girl. She was wearing a ridiculously fancy bright pink gown that made her look quite ugly. Was this who Astoria mentioned at dinner that first night?<p>

He let go of Rose's hand. "Ah, Bellatrix."

_Bellatrix_? Rose gaped, staring at her. She was named after that cursed woman?

"Who prefers Bella," she pouted, pursing her lips at him. "You know that by now, don't you? Scorpy, come _on_! Let's go dance!"

_Scorpy_?

"No, sorry, Bellatri—Bella," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "I'm not dancing with you tonight. Did my father not tell you?"

She raised an eyebrow questioningly, obviously noticing Rose and Al for the first time. "Oh, let me guess. Flaming red hair. A Weasel? And green eyes. Potter. I would never imagine you to hang around _those _people, Scorp." The ways she said _those _was as if Potters and Weasleys were some kind of contagious disease.

Rose was liking this Bellatrix girl less and less. "Actually, it's Weasley, if you don't mind," she fumed, "_Bella_."

"Eeeewwww, don't you dare say my name, half-blood. Absolutely disgusting. Only someone with blood as pure as Scorp's can have my permission to call me by name. _You _should address me as Miss Oden and Miss Oden only. Oh, how's your Mudblood mother doing these days? Hiding in shame?"

Scorpius stepped between them, catching Rose's arm as she lifted it. "That's enough, Bella."

"You're _touching _her? My, my. How disappointing. The famous Draco Malfoy's son? Tsk, tsk."

Al's green eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't you dare insult my godmother, Oden."

She glared back at him, turned to Scorpius, and said very loudly, "Well, I'll speak with you when you're not around those blood traitors and half-bloods." Then she skipped away, her hair flowing behind her.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius apologized for the second time that night, though this time he truly was. "The Odens are a very traditional pure-blood family. I guess Dad invited her after all. I should've insisted he not. She shouldn't have said those things."

"She definitely shouldn't have," Al agreed darkly. "If I could use magic right now, Merlin, I'll hex her."

Scorpius lowered his hand from Rose's arm. "How about a dance, Rose? I know you didn't come for your Christmas Eve to be ruined like this."

She nodded in reply, still staring in the direction Bellatrix had run off. Rose permitted Scorpius to lead her onto the dance floor, her nervousness and excitement earlier completely forgotten. She blankly followed as Scorpius led her; all the things she had looked forward to gone. It was all because of Bellatrix. She was barely aware of how good Scorpius danced, or how well they moved together, or how quickly she was getting the hang of Waltzes. He could tell she wasn't in the mood, and eventually took her into the garden for some fresh air. They sat together on a stone bench, awkwardly and quietly. "I'm sorry, Scorpius," she murmured softly, "I know you were looking forward to dancing with me, and yet here I am, not the reaction you expected. I told you I'd ruin things."

"I should be the one apologizing," Scorpius insisted, wrapping her in his arm and pulling her toward him. She buried her head in his chest, shaking. He rocked her slowly, calming her down. Until…

Bellatrix's voice trilled in the evening air, breaking the silence in the garden. "Oh, Scorp! Your father wishes to speak to you!"

Sighing, Scorpius stood up. "I'll be back soon," he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. Rose smiled at him, watching him as he walked away.

"_You_," Bellatrix snarled, stalking toward her as soon as Scorpius's back disappeared, "Stop bugging _my _fiancé."

"Fiancé? Scorpius never said anything about you being his fiancée," Rose retorted dryly.

She pointed her wand at Rose. "Well, he wouldn't want to tell you anything, would he? He's been playing with you. Toying with your feelings. Scorpius Malfoy, falling in love with a half-blood? _Please_. In your imagination, perhaps."

Rose's eyes widened with shock. Bellatrix might be right. After all, when he had told her he loved her, he had said exactly what she had. At the time she thought it was cute, but now that Bellatrix mentioned it, had he been…_mocking _her? "No," she insisted out loud, "Scorpius isn't that kind of guy. I've known him for six years. And what about you? When was the last time you had a decent conversation with him?"

Her eyes bulged in anger. "Oh, this wedding has been arranged since before I was born. Now, let's see…what can I do to get rid of you for good? I've been creating this tiny little spell for a few years now, and it would be _lovely _to try it on something other than rats and small animals. You would be wonderful."

The last thing Rose wanted was to end up as someone's test subject. She stood up, taking a step back. "You can't use magic. You're underage."

"Who said I was? I'm seventeen," She shot back, her eyes searching Rose's face hungrily, "Where should I aim for? The arms? Face?"

Feeling more angry than scared, Rose said, "Scorpius wouldn't like it if you hurt me."

"Would he?" She murmured, "I'm sure he'll thank me for getting rid of his pretend girlfriend. Aww, look at you. The little Miss Know-it-all can't block my attack cause she's too young. What a pity. It would be interesting for us to duel. Then again, I'll win for sure."

Rose could hear the merry Christmas songs playing faintly in the background while she was about to be attacked by a who-knows-what spell. "No. You're lying," she protested. Rose blinked. She felt as if she was persuading herself more than Bellatrix.

"Am I?" Bellatrix hissed.

Then a few things happened extremely quickly, almost all at once. Rose felt a sudden sharp pain in her face as she was blasted back against the bench. Again. And again. She could feel hot tears filling in her eyes as they rolled down her cheek, stinging the warm blood that now flowed freely down her face. She bit her lip, refusing to give Bellatrix the satisfaction that she was in pain. A voice called out her name from somewhere far away, but she didn't answer. "Rose! Rose, are you all right?"

Scorpius Malfoy.

She managed to push herself up from the ground, wincing. "I'm fine," she snapped, her voice shaking. He could tell she wasn't.

"What happened? Who attacked you?"

"None of your business, Scorpius! It's _over _between us! Go find that fiancée of yours!"

He looked bewildered. "F-Fiancée? What are you talking about?"

"Just…leave me alone!" She pushed away from him, running back inside. She ignored the questions and gaps of surprise as the guests stared at her, dashing into her room. Not even bothering to pack, she hastily wiped some of the blood off her face, putting on her jacket.

"Rosie?"A breathless voice came from behind her. "What in Merlin's name happened?"

"I'm going home," she replied flatly, "Al, find me some Floo Powder. Now."

He nodded, disappearing from the room. As soon as he returned, she took a pinch from the jar and threw it into the fireplace.

"Hey, what about Hermia?"

"She can stay here," she growled, "I never want to see anything to do with _him _ever again. I'll see you later, Al. The Burrow!"

Al stood, watching as she vanished from sight.

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><p>Rose stumbled out of the fireplace, coughing. "R-Rosie?" It was her mother; the concern and surprise in her voice evident. Hermione hurried over, the plate she was washing falling onto the ground.<p>

"O-Oh, Mum!" Rose sobbed, unable to control herself any longer.

She buried her head into Hermione's shoulder and cried.

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><p><strong>An: Please don't hate me for this! :3 but this is romance and DRAMA. DRAMA. there's got to be that evil, jealous, annoying, crazy, self-proclaimed fiancée girl. I hate her too. But yeah. Rose just trusts the enemy too easily. Sigh. **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing! **

**This list is getting extremely long... I might stop adding new reviewer names from now on... you guys won't mind, right? Besides, I'm grateful for all of your reviews.**


	21. Bellatrix Oden's Arrival

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>"Hey, did you hear?" Lily hissed to Rose at breakfast the first morning after Christmas vacation ended.<p>

Rose stared back at her cousin. She reached a hand up to her face, something she took a habit of doing ever since her…_attack_, and felt the scar that now was inerasable from her cheek. She hated Bellatrix. Not just Bellatrix. Malfoy, too. Yes, she had resumed calling him Malfoy. "Hear what, Lil?"

The younger Potter's look was filled with disgust. "Apparently, a girl from Durmstrang decided to transfer here after Christmas. She's in her seventh year, too. I really don't see the point. They're automatically letting her into Slytherin without a Sorting or anything!"

Al joined in the conversation, shooting a dirty look at Scorpius from the other side of the hall. "I wonder who it is?" He asked sarcastically. "Look, speak of the devil."

The three and Hugo turned their heads to see said girl standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, smirking. "Oh, Scorp!" Her voice rang out. A few students sniggered. "Long time no see, eh?" She headed straight for the Slytherin table, stopping next to Rose en route. "Oh, if it isn't the Weasel girl. How do you like that scar? It looks good on you. Why don't you thank me? Why _am _I talking to someone lowly as you, anyway?" The Slytherins burst out laughing. All except Scorpius. Rose didn't notice the blank expression on Scorpius's face.

The fury in Rose's eyes was evident. "In your dreams, Oden," she growled, "I'll thank you the day you decide to commit suicide."

"_Ooooh_!" The Gryffindors cheered.

Professor Morgan, the Headmistress, came over to see what the argument was about. "That's enough, all of you!" She said sharply. "This, everyone, is Bellatrix Oden. She transferred legally, so please, no questions. If anyone has any concerns regarding her sudden change in education, tell me privately."

"Can I tell you now that _she _broke my sister's heart, Professor?" Hugo asked loudly. Rose shot him a glance but didn't speak.

The professor turned to Rose. "Do you have a problem with her here, Miss Weasley?"

Bellatrix's eyes on Rose's caused her to answer softly with a shake of her head, "None at all, Professor Morgan. I'm perfectly fine with her here."

She nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent, then."

"There's nothing _excellent _about Bellatrix Oden coming here!" Al said vehemently, watching as Professor Morgan led Bellatrix to where the Slytherins sat. "She's obviously trying to get closer to Scorpius Malfoy!"

Rose took a large sip of Pumpkin Juice. "And, Al, do I look like I care? No." She stood up.

"Hey, Sis, where are you going?" Hugo called after her.

She stared blankly at him. "To study. I heard Professor Dillon might give us a pop quiz today."

Hugo gaped, turning to Lily as Rose hurried away, her book bag on her shoulder. "Will he?"

Lily shrugged in response. "Dunno. It's probably just your sister's excuse to leave before—oh, Merlin—_that _happens." She nodded to where Bellatrix was making a huge scene of her kissing Scorpius, who was searching for a way to escape.

Al watched them, his hands clutching into fists. "Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy. We should've known something like this would happen."

"And Rosie's feelings wouldn't be hurt like this," Lily agreed with a sigh. "Well, I _did _warn her, though this isn't what I expected. Won't you look at that?"

"Look at what, Lils?" Albus asked, following the direction Lily was pointing her fork.

A boy from the Ravenclaw table had stood up, too. He seemed to be pondering whether to leave or not. "Hey, you don't think that guy's interested in my sister, do you?" Hugo wondered out loud.

"Well, obviously," Lily replied. "That's Benjamin Davies. He dated me for a couple of weeks before dumping me."

There was a sudden clatter as plates fell to the floor. "WHAT?" Al roared, his fist still on the table from striking it, "HOW DARE SOMEONE DUMP MY SISTER SO—SO—SO—"

Lily produced her wand, muttered, "_Reparo_!" before interrupting her brother loudly, "Al, calm down before Filch decides to show up, for Merlin's sake. Besides, I don't mind. I never liked him much either. While we were together, he was always saying how hot my cousin is."

"_Really_?" Hugo demanded.

His friend, Daniel Longbottom (Neville's second child), said regretfully, "I feel sorry for you, mate. Not even knowing just how hot your sister is. She's absolutely gorgeous. I would date her myself, but it would be sort of awkward, you know. It wouldn't be a surprise for guys to start chasing her after hearing the rumor about her and Malfoy breaking up. I mean, what _does—did—_she see in that Malfoy boy? He's a prat, leaving her for some girl from who-knows-where."

By now, the Great Hall was clearing. Lily swung her bag over her shoulder. "Nice talking to you lot. Better get to class. And, Hugo, good luck if Professor Dillon decides to give you that pop quiz."

He looked mystified. "Good luck? _Good luck_? Lils, you're in his class too! With me!"

She grinned. "Wait, you're right. How can I forget?"

Al patted Lily on the shoulder. "Vacation causes amnesia, dear baby sister."

"I am _not _your 'dear baby sister'!"

The Wealseys and Potters escaped from the hall before Filch could figure out there was a problem.

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><p>As Rose walked briskly down the hall to Potions a month after Bellatrix's first day at Hogwarts, a voice called after her, "Hey, Rose!"<p>

She stopped, not turning around. Whoever was behind her jogged to catch up. "Er, are you busy?"

Rose studied the boy in front of her. She remembered Lily telling her about him, and he matched Lily's description. Messy light brown hair, piercing blue eyes, a perfect build (in Rose's opinion, he wasn't nearly as good-looking as _Scorpius _was, though she was never going to admit it)…Benjamin Davies. "What does it look like?" Rose asked coldly, "I'm going to class. If you want to say something, hurry up."

"Woah, Rose. I know you're not very happy after the incident with Malfoy, but, can't you lighten up?"

She scowled in reply. "Don't tell me what to do," she snapped. "And if you want to be _friendly _with me, never mention him in front of me again. Understand?"

He nodded, slightly puzzled but eager to become closer to her. "So, um, do you have any plans for Hogsmeade in three weeks? I mean, well, we could go together."

Rose frowned. "Don't you have a Quidditch game that weekend with Slytherin? You should be practicing, not asking me out on dates."

He turned red. "Er, yes, you're right. Some other time, then, perhaps?"

"Perhaps," she agreed, her focus no longer on him but on the couple that had just walked past.

Benjamin beamed at her, oblivious to Scorpius and Bellatrix. "Great! I'll see you later. And, I know this is a bit early and very sudden, but, um, do you mind if I…"

Rose had no time to reply as he leaned down, kissing her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scorpius watching them. She had always known the last thing he wanted was to marry Bellatrix, though as she blabbered on about pure-bloods, he dropped his bag onto the floor, put both his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her.

Very quickly, Rose broke away from Benjamin. She could feel hot tears forming in her eyes as she fled the hall, Scorpius's gaze bearing into her back. It wasn't that all this time, she hated Scorpius, or Bellatrix. She did hate them. She really did. But who she hated the most was herself, because she realized that she was still in love with Scorpius.

And when Benjamin Davies had kissed her, she felt nothing. Nothing at all compared to the ones with…_him_.

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><p><strong>An: Very interesting chapter, I should say... And for your information, Rose and Scorpius will not be together for at least a few more chapters. Hehe. **

**I apologize for the lack of updating. I didn't have any internet for a few days. **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing!**

**I'm grateful for all of your reviews.**


	22. Dementors in the Forbidden Forest

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>"Well, how long do you plan on crying in here?"<p>

Rose looked up, finding Moaning Myrtle hovering in the air above her. She rubbed her already red eyes. Huh, after her death, her name might end up being _Sobbing Rose_. Scorpius Malfoy wasn't someone worth crying over. So why was she? "I-I'm done now," she replied, sniffing.

Myrtle clearly didn't believe her. "Sure you are," she said. "You know, you can tell me what you're so upset about. That handsome boy years ago consulted me about his problems, and I patiently calmed him down."

"That handsome boy?" Rose echoed, her interest increasing.

She nodded. "Whose name, as I remember, was Draco Malfoy."

Rose definitely wasn't going to let someone who saw Draco Malfoy cry discuss _her _problems. "No thanks, Myrtle. I really have to get going. I don't want to be late for History of Magic."

"Professor Binns wouldn't notice even if all his students went missing," Myrtle pointed out. "Let me guess…is it boy problems?"

She sighed. "I suppose." But before they could say anything else regarding to the actual boy, the door opened. Rose spun around, her eyes meeting Bellatrix's.

"Weasel," she smirked.

"Oden," Rose scowled. "Excuse me."

With that, she brushed past Scorpius and Bellatrix. Why, Merlin, did Scorpius have to see her crying in the girl's bathroom?

Not bothering to actually listen to Professor Binns's lecture on Goblins (yet again), she ran, not caring where. As she finally slowed, she found herself standing just outside the Forbidden Forest. She shivered, pulling out her wand. Something inside was _drawing _her in, and she was sure it was something bad. But what she saw was something a lot worse than what she had thought.

Dementors.

_"Well, he wouldn't want to tell you anything, would he? He's been playing with you. Toying with your feelings. Scorpius Malfoy, falling in love with a half-blood? Please. In your imagination, perhaps."_

Why was that memory coming back to her? She screamed, fully aware that no one was coming to her rescue. The group of Dementors floated closer, and she felt more scared than she had ever before. She didn't know how to conjure a Patronus.

"_Expecto Patronum_!"

Rose saw a silver Husky dog leapt towards her. She felt herself fall into someone's arms. The last thing she thought was how comforting and warm the person's hold on her was, and how safe she felt.

Then everything went black.

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><p>"…Dementors, here, at Hogwarts?" A faint voice said disapprovingly from somewhere nearby.<p>

Rose's eyes snapped open. She sat up groggily, looking around. She was in the Hospital Wing.

"Oh, Miss Weasley. You're awake." It was Professor Morgan, and she wasn't happy. "Dear child, what were you thinking, wondering off into the Forbidden Forest? Not to mention skipping class. I expected better from the daughter of Hermione Granger."

Rose's heart sank. "I-I'm sorry, Professor."

"'Sorry' won't be enough for you to escape punishment, Rose. Twenty points from Gryffindor."

She hung her head in dismay.

Madam Longbottom hurried over with a Chocolate Frog. "Please, Professor, not so soon. She needs rest."

Professor Morgan shook her head. "What she needs is punishment. If Mr. Malfoy hadn't arrived in time, who knows what would've happened?"

_Scorpius _was the one who saved her? Rose's mouth dropped open. She suddenly felt dizzy. "I-I'm sorry for causing trouble," she murmured softly.

"Once Madam Longbottom has given you the all-clear, you'll be going into the Forbidden Forest again with Mr. Malfoy to find out why Dementors are here at Hogwarts."

"Seriously, Professor? Shouldn't that be a job for the staff?"

"They're both the top of their six year class, Hannah. Not to mention Prefects. They are responsible students, and I'm sure with Mr. Malfoy's skill with Patronuses, they will be fine." Professor Morgan retorted, standing up. "Come see me after you're well again, Rose," she added. "I will be taking my leave now."

Rose sat staring after her. She was going to have _detention _(not to mention the first time ever with her clean record at Hogwarts) with _Scorpius Malfoy_. He was the last person she wanted to see, especially now that he had saved her life after she broke up with him. Merlin, what was she going to do?

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><p><strong>An: Detention with Scorpius next. How will _that _go? Muahahaha...**

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing!**

**I'm grateful for all of your reviews.**


	23. Detention

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>The awkward silence between Rose and Scorpius was killing her. They stood staring at each other outside the Forbidden Forest, wands out and ready but neither going in. Rose would gladly be anywhere but there (even including around her most annoying cousin James). "So, um, hi," she finally managed to say, gulping.<p>

He nodded briefly in reply. "Ladies first?" He gestured to the darkness ahead.

"Geez, very manly, Malfoy," she muttered, still not moving.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're _scared_, Weasley. I heard there's spiders in there." Ever since Christmas, Scorpius had resumed being rude to her. It was hard _not _to be when Rose kept ignoring him and insulting him when she could.

She openly winced at the way he called her 'Weasley'. Unable to find a smart remark, she stalked past him and straight into the forest, just to show him how _not _scared she was. "_Lumos_," she whispered, her wand instantly lighting up. She felt a sudden coldness as Scorpius's wand touched her shoulder. She glowered at him. "_What_, Malfoy, was that for?"

"I Disillusioned you," he said smugly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to do (not counting creating a light so they could see), "In case something happened and we get spotted by someone. Ever thought of that?"

Rose hesitated. She hadn't. And she had to admit reluctantly that Scorpius was a lot better at Disillusioning than she was—not to mention smarter in general. "Dementors can see through you even if you're under a Invisibility Cloak," she pointed out dryly. "I doubt Disillusioning would work on them."

He actually laughed. "Really, Weasley? Haven't you figured out that someone very _human _might be behind this whole Dementor scheme?"

Why did he always have to be right? "Well, come _on _then. I bet it has something to do with your girlfriend."

"Bellatrix Oden is not my girlfriend," he corrected rather quietly as they walked on. The forest was very Dementor-free at that moment for some odd reason.

Rose didn't believe him. "Really, Malfoy?" She mocked, "Then what was that…time where you kissed her in hallway so volunteeringly?" She couldn't believe the fact that they were talking about something like that in the middle of their detention.

He smirked, which was hard to see in the dark despite Roses's wand's light. She could imagine his trademark smirk quite perfectly. In fact, she could see it with her eyes closed. "_Oooh_. Jealous, much?" He drawled. He didn't seem to be taking their detention very seriously.

"Not at all. Besides, that kiss with Benjamin was amazing."

He scoffed. "I really doubt you enjoyed that, let's see, compared to the ones with…_me_."

"Are _you _jealous of _me _now, Scorpius?"

She bit her lip, realizing her mistake. She had called him Scorpius out of habit. She heard him draw in a breath sharply. But before either could comment, Scorpius suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her behind a tree, clamping a hand over her mouth before she could shriek out in alarm. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest when she heard a very familiar and annoying voice. "What is _wrong _with you idiots? I told you to _kiss _her! Why is she still alive now? You Dementors are useless."

It was Bellatrix Oden. And her, being the idiot she was despite her claims of her being extremely smart, was scolding the Dementors as if they were her children. Not to mention even after a Dementor's Kiss the sufferee would still be alive. Rose felt her blood grow cold. Oden had tried to have the Dementors kiss her and leave her soulless. Scorpius's arms around her wasn't helping her much either. In fact, her head was going crazy at his closeness, and when they had heard Bellatrix (perhaps it was just her imagination) his arms had tightened around her. _No, no, no,_ she thought. She couldn't be falling in love with him. Not again. They couldn't be together anyway after that night. Her father would not permit it.

_"WHAT?" Ron bellowed, his face red from anger. "HOW DARE HE DO THIS TO MY DAUGHTER?"_

_Hermione placed an arm around her husband. "Please, Ron. Rosie said it wasn't Scorpius."_

_"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO! I DON'T CARE! I WILL NEVER, EVER ALLOW YOU TO DATE HIM AGAIN, YOU HEAR, ROSE?"_

_"Even though you never really approved the first time?" Hermione had countered, a cross look on her face._

Rose knew she shouldn't be thinking about that now. They had to deal with Bellatrix and the Dementor problem. So, coming up with a very stupid but very Gryffindor-worthy plan, she murmured to Scorpius, "Remove the spell."

"What?" He asked, his eyes still on the Slytherin girl.

"I asked you nicely to remove the Disillusion spell, Scor—Malfoy!"

He removed his arms from her. For some reason, she felt slightly disappointed. "Why?"

She noticed he was answering her with one-word questions. "I'm going over there. You can save me with your Patronus if the need should ever arise."

"Again?"

She rolled her eyes as he tapped her shoulder, muttering the spell in the process. "I'm off, then," she announced unnecessarily to him before taking a step forward. "Bellatrix!" She yelled.

The girl looked up, surprised. "W-What are you doing here?" It was the first time Rose had ever heard her sound so shocked. She recomposed herself, turning to the Dementors around her. "What are you guys waiting for? Now!" She screeched.

Without thinking, Rose pointed her wand at her. "_Stupefy_!" She screamed as the spell hit Bellatrix directly in her chest. The older girl fell onto the ground, unconscious.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Scorpius's voice rang out, strong and firm. He pulled on Rose's arm as she stumbled back from the Dementors, gasping for breath. They both collapsed onto the ground, panting. Scorpius's eyes were only inches away from her own.

"T-That went well," Rose commented weakly, fully aware of how close the two of them were. She stood up a little too quickly, her head spinning.

Scorpius's arms caught onto her before she could fall. "Be careful," he said, letting go of her just as fast.

An uncomfortable silence passed between them. "Well, uh, I should go find Professor Morgan," Rose finally said. "We don't want to leave her there—stunned—do we?"

And she turned and ran, which was something very _un_-Gryffindor to do.

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><p><strong>An: Hope you enjoyed this chapter~. **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing!**

**I'm grateful for all of your reviews.**


	24. Patronuses

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>It was Rose's seventh year at Hogwarts. And as expected, she was sitting in the Head Boy and Girl compartment on the Hogwarts Express. The Head Boy had yet to make an appearance. She played absently with the badge on her chest, gazing around her. The most memorable event from last year jumped into her mind. She could still remember running frantically into the school, searching all around for Professor Morgan. When she was finally located, she simply followed (without asking questions) Rose back to where Scorpius still waited patiently beside Bellatrix. Most would expect the two to make up then and there, kiss, and get things over with. But, as they were Rose and Scorpius, didn't. Instead, they both accepted the Service trophy that Professor Morgan had presented them with (as well as fifty points for both houses), and ignored each other as if nothing happened between them that night.<p>

The door slid open just then, revealing none other than the very expected Head Boy Rose had been anticipating since her arrival. Scorpius Malfoy, of course. She didn't look at him as he sat down opposite of her, propped open _Best Quidditch Brooms_ and started reading, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence. _At least Bellatrix won't be around to cause more trouble_, she thought, thinking how pleased she had felt as Professor Morgan scolded then expelled her. She pulled out the book she had brought along, _Dark Arts in the Old Ages_, and too began to read. There was an entire chapter on Pratronuses, much to her annoyance. After all, it was Scorpius who knew how to conjure one, not her. How he learned it was a mystery, but she didn't dare ask him. Instead, she coughed and said, "So, ah, Malfoy, about your Patronus…it's a dog, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he answered, not looking up from his book. "A Husky, to be precise." Rose stared at him rather than at her book. It was the first sentence he had said to her without acting like a prat since last year. "What about yours?"

She could tell he was concentrating on reading rather than on her. "You know I don't know how to create one," she pointed out with a sigh.

He blinked. "Oh, right, of course," he agreed, turning his attention to her at last.

Interest perked inside Rose, and she leaned closer to him, asking, "Why did you learn?"

"What, the Patronus?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes."

They were definitely having a normal conversation for a change. "Well…" he began, "My father forced me to promise him that I would be able to conjure a Patronus by the end of my fifth year. He told me he couldn't, and it would make him proud if I could. So at the beginning of my second year, I asked Professor Thomas to teach me, and he agreed. Now I'm starting to believe it was a good thing dad forced me to learn. If I had refused him, where would _you _be?"

Rose knew his question was meant to be rhetorical, but lightening up the mood, she answered him anyway. "Soulless, in the middle of a forest somewhere in the world."

"I'll find you no matter how long it takes, kiss you, and give you your soul back," he said so quietly Rose wasn't sure if she heard him correctly.

She almost asked him to repeat what he said, but stopped herself. "Y-You can teach me," she suggested, feeling her cheeks burn.

He tipped his head to one side. "If I do, what will you give me?"

"What?"

Scorpius smirked, closing his book. "You have to pay me _somehow_, right? I don't care with what."

"Will a punch work?"

He let out a sigh. "Honestly, _Rose_, I figured you would be much smarter." Rose's heart skipped a beat when he called her by her first name.

She wondered whether to ask him what she had been waiting to ask for a long while now. "Uh, _Scorpius_, is it true that Bellatrix isn't your fiancée?" _I might've misunderstood things, thanks to her. _

"Of course she's not. And now she'll never even have a chance to be," he confirmed. "Why, did you think she was telling you the truth?"

Rose let out the breath she realized she was holding. "W-Well..."

He leaned in closer towards her.

And then they both jumped backwards as the compartment door slid open, revealing Al. "Am I interrupting something?" (He had once again decided to be friends with Scorpius after he saved Rose, _twice_, last year.) He stared at the two of them, who had both resumed reading their respective books.

No matter how much she loved Al, Rose hated him more than anything else in the whole world at that moment.

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><p><strong>An: I hope you like this chapter! I believe they've made up now. XD Almost. **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing!**

**I'm grateful for all of your reviews.**


	25. The Cat and The Dog

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>"Uh, hi," Rose said, biting her lip nervously as she met Scorpius outside the Gryffindor tower for rounds.<p>

"Davies was here," Scorpius told her abruptly.

Rose had no idea why he decided to mention Benjamin. "What, he was?" She asked, doing her best to sound as if she didn't care he had been there. After all, she had never really liked him anyway.

"Pacing back and force with a frown," he continued as if she hadn't interrupted him. "I told him to go back to his common room, as it was almost curfew. I expected he was hoping to speak with you before I came."

She didn't have a comment to that, so she just said, "Oh."

He frowned, finally gazing at her. "Aren't you going to talk to him, then?"

She shrugged in reply. "Why should I? I never really liked him."

"But he kissed you."

Why in Merlin's name was Scorpius worried about Benjamin Davies now? "And I didn't enjoy them, let's see, as much as the ones with _you_."

"Oh."

They stood there, outside the Gryffindor tower, staring at each other for a long time. Until Rose broke the silence. "Rounds?" She prompted, reminding him the real reason of why they were there.

Scorpius blinked a few times, shaking his head as if to bring him to reality. "Right," he agreed, taking her hand and pulling her with him. "And..."

"And...?" Rose echoed, aware of the tingling feeling on her skin at his touch.

"I was thinking I could teach you the Patronus?"

Grinning at him for the first time in a long while, she answered, "I'd love to learn."

They barely spoke again as they walked around the school, making sure there weren't any inappropriate behavior. Finally, when Scorpius decided they had checked every corridor and secret passage (he had memorized their locations from the times Al showed him the Marauders' Map), he led her into an empty classroom. "Here should work," he said, satisfied as he skimmed the room.

"What if someone hears us? Professor Morgan, for instance?" She wasn't going to take a chance.

He took out his wand after closing the door behind them. "Don't worry. I've got it covered. _Muffliato_!"

Rose commented with admiration, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Scorpius took a deep breath. "A Patronus isn't very difficult if you know the spell."

"It's—it's—um, Expecto Patro—" Rose began, unable to remember the rest of it. She hadn't been paying much attention when Scorpius saved her. She was focusing on the savior. Not the process.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Scorpius said, and his Patronus shot out from the tip of his wand.

"Amazing," she breathed. "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Nothing happened.

Chuckling, Scorpius said, "The spell isn't the _only_ thing most important in a Patronus. You have to think of the happiest memory you can."

Rose thought of the time she spent with Scorpius at his Manor before the Christmas incident. This time, she felt confident as she yelled out, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A silver wisp floated into the air around them before vanishing. "Not bad for your first try," Scorpius commented. "I'm not surprised. You _are _Hermione Granger's daughter, all right."

"Did you think I wasn't?" Rose teased, tapping his arm lightly with her wand.

"I thought you were a Weasley."

"Hey!" Rose laughed, chasing after him as he dodged the hex she had attempted to shoot him with.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Another go?"

"Oh, ah, of course!" And this time, remembering the birthday present he had given her, Rose said, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A cat leapt out. Rose's eyes widened with wonder as it soared through the air. She had did it. She had produced a Patronus. And, speaking of cats...she remembered Hermia with a jolt. "How's Hermia?"

"Funny you should ask," Scorpius joked, conjuring his own Patronus so it joined Rose's in the classroom. A cat and a dog. Opposites. Enemies, in fact. Yet here they were, together. "Missing her owner terribly, but other than that doing fine."

"I-I'm sorry," Rose whispered quietly, watching their Patronuses as they moved closer to each other.

He shook his head. "_I _should be the one apologizing."

"What for? It was all my fault. I misunderstood you. I'm a horrible person," she argued, aware of Scorpius moving closer to her.

Scorpius took her hand in his, squeezing it. "You're not a horrible person, Rose," he told her, looking straight into her eyes. She didn't move away as he leaned in towards her.

The cat pressed its fur into the dog's as Rose felt Scorpius's lips meet hers.

And Rose Weasley kissed Scorpius Malfoy in a way she had never kissed him before.

In a way that practically screamed out: "_I love you, Scorpius_."

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><p><strong>An: And they _finally _make up. For real. Without Al's interruption. **

**One more chapter left: the EPILOGUE. **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama123456789 for reviewing!**

**Thank you for sticking with the story until now. *Sobs*. My most reviewed ever.. You guys are all amazingly wonderful. **


	26. Epilogue: 19 Years Later

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, except the plot and some ocs later on. All belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

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><p>King's Cross was crowded as the family of four made their way to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. "I want to go! I want to go <em>now<em>!" The young red-headed girl with bushy hair wailed as she trailed after her mother.

Rose gazed fondly at her daughter. "Alexis, your time will come."

"Two more years, Lexi," Their son, Derek, added not very helpfully.

"Two years is a long time," she whined, wiping a tear from her eyes as the Hogwarts Express came into view.

Derek had dropped slightly back from the rest of his family. Scorpius turned to Rose. "You go on ahead, Rosie," he whispered to her, "I'll see what's troubling Derek. It must be the Houses again."

Rose nodded, pulling on Alexis's hand. "Let's go find Rebecca and Howard, Lexi. Al and Claire should be here any minute." After many years, Al and Claire had finally made up their relationship. Lexi looked slightly brighter as she followed her mother away.

Scorpius stopped beside Derek as his wife left with Lexi. "I can see something's troubling you, Der," he said softly. "You can tell me what's wrong."

He sighed, gazing at his father. "What House will I be Sorted into, dad? Will it be Slytherin or Gryffindor? Or Ravenclaw?"

"It really doesn't matter what House you're in, Derek. Your mother and I will always love you," Scorpius soothed him, "Besides, your mother was in Gryffindor. And she's one of the bravest I've ever met. I was a Slytherin, and well, I won't say anything about myself. Even if you were in Ravenclaw...that wouldn't be such a bad choice. We'll never forgive you if you end up in Hufflepuff, however," he added as an afterthought.

"Very cruel, Scorpius, very cruel," Al remarked, joining the Malfoys.

"Becca! Howard!" Derek greeted the Potters, straightening himself.

It was Howard's first year at Hogwarts, too. He grinned at Derek nervously, and Derek smirked slightly in response. He was the exact copy of his father. Even the smirk. Rose smiled, watching her children. They hadn't broken just _one _Malfoy tradition, but two. Not only was Derek not named after a constellation, Rose and Scorpius decided on a second child two years later. Alexis. "Well, how are you, my favorite cousin and my favorite cousin-in-law?" Al asked.

"We're both wonderful," Rose answered, putting a hand on his shoulder. Claire shook hands with Rose politely. "You?"

"Perfectly happy to be getting rid of _one _child, at least."

Rose slapped his arm. "Al!"

"Come on, cousin, you know I didn't mean it," he said. Then he suddenly narrowing his eyes and nodded to a point some yards away. "Look who it is."

It was Bellatrix and her husband, here with their daughter.

"So that's little Anita," Scorpius breathed as Bellatrix turned to them with a scowl. She certainly hadn't changed one bit over the years. "Make sure you beat her on every test, Derek."

"Thank Merlin you have both your father _and _your mother's brains," Al commented, amusement glittering in his eyes.

Rose wasn't pleased as she folded her arms across her chest. "Scorpius, Al, don't turn them on each other before school even starts! Look what happened to _us_!" She still remembered her father warning her not to go off marrying pure-bloods. And now, she was the wife of one. Perhaps she had fell for him after deciding to be rebellious.

"We ended up falling in love," Scorpius said, helping Derek lift his trunk onto the train.

"_They_ might, too," Al teased, saying his final good-bye to Howard.

Alexis and Rebecca giggled, while Derek and Howard stayed solemn. "They're too young," Rose scolded her cousin. "It's too early for them to understand."

"At least if they do, you and Scorp can give them all the advice they need," Al added, "You two have all the experience."

Rose felt her cheeks burn. Shaking Al's suggestion away, Scorpius and Rose joined the other parents saying their final words of wisdom. Rose felt Scorpius put an arm around her comfortingly. "Oh, and Der! We'll write to you as many times a week as you want!"

"Not _that _many times!" He yelled back, embarrassed. "It'll ruin my reputation as a Malfoy!"

Rose stared back. "What? Like _not _getting too many letters from your parents count toward your cold and arrogant attitude?" She knew him enough to expect his retort to be, "_Who said I was cold and arrogant?_"

But Howard leaned out the window next to Derek before he could reply. "Lexi! I'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat, if that'll make you feel any better!"

"Ew, that's disgusting!" Lexi called, laughing as she waved at her brother and Howard.

"Derek will be fine," Scorpius murmured to Rose, reassuring himself as much as her.

"I know," she answered as the train rolled out of the platform.

Rose's hand was still in the air from her wav; her thought no longer on her children but on the man beside her.

She was a Weasley. Scorpius was a Malfoy. But now, she was no longer Rose Weasley. She was Rose Malfoy. And she was proud to be. Because no matter how complicated her life had been, she had endured it, and she was happy now...

...together with Scorpius, as his wife...

As the couple stood, side by side, there was only one question left in her mind:

_What do you think of me now, dad?_

_~The End~_

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><p><strong>An: Ah, yes. The final chapter. And as for the names... well, I wanted Rose and Scorpius's children to have the same first letter as Draco and Astoria, so I came up with Derek and Alexis (which, as I read somewhere, was the same with Rose and Hugo and Ron and Hermione). And Howard (I couldn't think of another H name)-Hugo/Hermione, and Rebecca-Rose/Ron.**

**I really don't think there will be a sequel, unless it'll be about the _third _generation, or maybe a deeper look into Al's relationship with Claire? Since it wasn't that explained in this story... **

**Special thanks to: DeviousDomi, twilightlover212, cathilde and naima, Ritalin Disaster, past decembers, kittyatza, blackrose1319, TomorrowsMorbidSunshine, Moonlightshadowbeams, hahahahahehehaha4ever, unknowingly'inlove, Jessica682, Laughter is contagious, brokenly yours, WeasleySweaters, reppad98, hannahlucyy, jac32oz (sorry about that!), Kamai000, the-awesomeness12, E arth. K id. T ree. H ugger, ohtheglorydays, HannBurger, reppad98, bloombeaut, FatallyUnique, Mary Rachel, Little-Basque, Goldemort, Thalia Marie Grace, curiousbookworm (your name is already on the list...), Tina95, ByTheWayThisCakeIsGreat, kaitlin98, kirra993, Gryffindork5500, lilswmr427 and amama12345678, and every one for reviewing!**

**Thank you for sticking with the story until now. *Sobs*. My most reviewed ever.. You guys are all amazingly wonderful. I appreciate your support.n**


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